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A Shinto shrine (神社, jinja, archaic: shinsha, meaning: "kami shrine")^[1] is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, the deities of the Shinto religion.^[2]

The honden^{[note 1]} (本殿, meaning: "main hall") is where a shrine's patron kami is/are enshrined.^[2]^[3] The honden may be absent in cases where a shrine stands on or near a sacred mountain, tree, or other object which can be worshipped directly or in cases where a shrine possesses either an altar-like structure, called a himorogi, or an object believed to be capable of attracting spirits, called a yorishiro, which can also serve as direct bonds to a kami.^[4] There may be a haiden (拝殿, meaning: "hall of worship") and other structures as well.

Although only one word ("shrine") is used in English, in Japanese, Shinto shrines may carry any one of many different, non-equivalent names like gongen, -gū, jinja, jingū, mori, myōjin, -sha, taisha, ubusuna or yashiro. Miniature shrines (hokora) can occasionally be found on roadsides. Large shrines sometimes have on their precincts miniature shrines, sessha (摂社) or massha (末社).^{[note 2]} Mikoshi, the palanquins which are carried on poles during festivals (matsuri), also enshrine kami and are therefore considered shrines.

In 927 CE, the Engi-shiki (延喜式, literally: "Procedures of the Engi Era") was promulgated. This work listed all of the 2,861 Shinto shrines existing at the time, and the 3,131 official-recognized and enshrined kami.^[5] In 1972, the Agency for Cultural Affairs placed the number of shrines at 79,467, mostly affiliated with the Association of Shinto Shrines (神社本庁).^[6] Some shrines, such as the Yasukuni Shrine, are totally independent of any outside authority.^[7] The number of Shinto shrines in Japan is estimated to be around 100,000.^[8]

Since ancient times, the Shake (社家) families dominated Shinto shrines through hereditary positions, and at some shrines the hereditary succession continues to present day.

The Unicode character representing a Shinto shrine (for example, on maps) is U+26E9 ⛩ SHINTO SHRINE.

Etymology

Jinja (神社) is the most general name for shrine.^[9] Any place that owns a honden (本殿) is a jinja.^[2] These two characters used to be read either "kamu-tsu-yashiro" or "mori" in kunyomi, both meaning "kami grove".^[10] Both readings can be found for example in the Man'yōshū.^[10]

Sha (社) itself was not an initially secular term. In Chinese it alone historically could refer to Tudigong, or soil gods, a kind of tutelary deity seen as subordinate to City Gods.^[11] Such deities are also often called (社神; shèshén), or the same characters in the reverse order.^[11] Its Kunyomi reading Yashiro (社) is a generic term for shinto shrine like jinja.^[2]^[10]

It is also used as a suffix -sha or sometimes -ja (社), as in Shinmei-sha or Tenjin-ja, indicates a minor shrine that has received through the kanjō process a kami from a more important one.^[9]

A mori (杜) is a place where a kami is present.^[2] It can therefore be a shrine and, in fact, the characters 神社, 社 and 杜 can all be read "mori" ("grove").^[10] This reading reflects the fact the first shrines were simply sacred groves or forests where kami were present.^[10]

Hokora/hokura (神庫) is an extremely small shrine of the kind one finds for example along country roads.^[12] The term Hokora (祠), believed to have been one of the first Japanese words for Shinto shrine, evolved from hokura (神庫), literally meaning "kami repository", a fact that seems to indicate that the first shrines were huts built to house some yorishiro.^{[note 3]}^[13]

-gū (宮) indicates a shrine enshrining an imperial prince, but there are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.^[9] The word gū (宮) often found at the end of names of shrines such as Hachimangu, Tenmangū, or Jingu (神宮) comes from the Chinese (宮; gong) meaning palace or a temple to a high deity.

Jingū (神宮) is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor, as for example in the case of the Ise Jingū and the Meiji Jingū.^[9] The name Jingū alone, can refer only to the Ise Jingū, whose official name is just "Jingū".^[9] It is a formulation close to jinja (神社) with the character Sha (社) being replaced with gū (宮), emphasizing its high rank

Miya (宮) is the kunyomi of -gū (宮) and indicates a shrine enshrining a special kami or a member of the Imperial household like the Empress, but there are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.^[2] During the period of state regulation, many -miya names were changed to jinja.

A taisha (大社) (the characters are also read ōyashiro) is literally a "great shrine" that was classified as such under the old system of shrine ranking, the shakaku (社格), abolished in 1946.^[2]^[14] Many shrines carrying that shōgō adopted it only after the war.^[9]

Chinjusha (鎮守社•鎮社, or tutelary shrine) comes from Chinju written as 鎮守 or sometimes just 鎮. meaning Guardian, and Sha (社)

Setsumatsusha (摂末社)^[15]^{[note 4]} is a combination of two words Sessha (摂社, auxiliary shrine) and massha (末社, undershrine).^[16] They are also called eda-miya (枝宮, branch shrines)^[16] which contains Miya (宮)

During the Japanese Middle Ages, shrines started being called with the name gongen (権現), a term of Buddhist origin.^[17] For example, in Eastern Japan there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called gongen.^[17] Because it represents the application of Buddhist terminology to Shinto kami, its use was legally abolished by the Meiji government with the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order (神仏判然令, Shin-butsu Hanzenrei), and shrines began to be called jinja.^[17]

History

Early origins

Ancestors are kami to be worshipped. Yayoi period village councils sought the advice of ancestors and other kami, and developed instruments, yorishiro (依り代), to evoke them. Yoshishiro means "approach substitute"^[18] and were conceived to attract the kami to allow them physical space, thus making kami accessible to human beings.^[18]

Village council sessions were held in quiet spots in the mountains or in forests near great trees or other natural objects that served as yorishiro.^[18] These sacred places and their yorishiro gradually evolved into today's shrines, whose origins can be still seen in the Japanese words for "mountain" and "forest", which can also mean "shrine".^[18] Many shrines have on their grounds one of the original great yorishiro: a big tree, surrounded by a sacred rope called shimenawa (標縄・注連縄・七五三縄).^[18]^{[note 5]}

The first buildings at places dedicated to worship were hut-like structures built to house some yorishiro.^[18] A trace of this origin can be found in the term hokura (神庫), "deity storehouse", which evolved into hokora (written with the same characters 神庫) and is considered to be one of the first words for shrine.^[18]^{[note 6]}

First temporary shrines

True shrines arose with the beginning of agriculture, when the need arose to attract kami to ensure good harvests.^[19] These were, however, just temporary structures built for a particular purpose, a tradition of which traces can be found in some rituals.^{[clarification needed]}^[19]

Hints of the first shrines can still be found.^[18] Ōmiwa Shrine in Nara, for example, contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve the mountain on which it stands—images or objects are therefore unnecessary.^[18]^[20] For the same reason, it has a worship hall, a haiden (拝殿), but no place to house the kami, called shinden (神殿).^[18] Archeology confirms that, during the Yayoi period, the most common shintai (神体) (a yorishiro actually housing the enshrined kami) in the earliest shrines were nearby mountain peaks that supplied stream water to the plains where people lived.^[21]

Besides Ōmiwa Shrine, another important example is Mount Nantai, a phallus-shaped mountain in Nikko which constitutes Futarasan Shrine's shintai.^[21] The name Nantai (男体) means "man's body".^[21] The mountain provides water to the rice paddies below and has the shape of the phallic stone rods found in pre-agricultural Jōmon sites.^[21]

First known shrine

The first known Shinto shrine was built in roughly 478.^[22]

Rites and ceremonies

In 905 CE, Emperor Daigo ordered a compilation of Shinto rites and rules. Previous attempts at codification are known to have taken place, but, neither the Konin nor the Jogan Gishiki^[23] survive. Initially under the direction of Fujiwara no Tokihira, the project stalled at his death in April 909. Fujiwara no Tadahira, his brother, took charge and in 912^[24] and in 927 the Engi-shiki (延喜式, literally: "Procedures of the Engi Era") was promulgated in fifty volumes.

This, the first formal codification of Shinto rites and Norito (liturgies and prayers) to survive, became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice and efforts.^[25] In addition to the first ten volumes of this fifty volume work, which concerned worship and the Department of Worship, sections in subsequent volumes addressing the Ministry of Ceremonies (治部省) and the Ministry of the Imperial Household (宮内省) regulated Shinto worship and contained liturgical rites and regulation.^[26] In 1970, Felicia Gressitt Brock published a two-volume annotated English language translation of the first ten volumes with an introduction entitled Engi-shiki; procedures of the Engi Era.

Arrival and influence of Buddhism

The arrival of Buddhism in Japan in around the sixth century introduced the concept of a permanent shrine.^[19] A great number of Buddhist temples were built next to existing shrines in mixed complexes called jingū-ji (神宮寺, literally: "shrine temple") to help priesthood deal with local kami, making those shrines permanent. Some time in their evolution, the word miya (宮), meaning "palace", came into use indicating that shrines had by then become the imposing structures of today.^[18]

Once the first permanent shrines were built, Shinto revealed a strong tendency to resist architectural change, a tendency which manifested itself in the so-called shikinen sengū-sai (式年遷宮祭), the tradition of rebuilding shrines faithfully at regular intervals adhering strictly to their original design. This custom is the reason ancient styles have been replicated throughout the centuries to the present day, remaining more or less intact.^[19]

Ise Grand Shrine, still rebuilt every 20 years, is its best extant example. In Shinto it has played a particularly significant role in preserving ancient architectural styles.^[19] Izumo Taisha, Sumiyoshi Taisha, and Nishina Shinmei Shrine each represent a different style whose origin is believed to predate Buddhism in Japan. These three styles are known respectively as taisha-zukuri, sumiyoshi-zukuri, and shinmei-zukuri.

Shrines show various influences, particularly that of Buddhism, a cultural import which provided much of Shinto architecture's vocabulary. The rōmon (楼門, tower gate),^{[note 7]} the haiden, the kairō (回廊, corridor), the tōrō, or stone lantern, and the komainu, or lion dogs, are all elements borrowed from Buddhism.

Shinbutsu shūgō and the jingūji

Until the Meiji period (1868–1912), shrines as they exist today were rare. With very few exceptions like Ise Grand Shrine and Izumo Taisha, they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.^[27] These complexes were called jingū-ji (神宮寺, literally: "shrine temple"), places of worship composed of a Buddhist temple and of a shrine dedicated to a local kami.^[28]

The complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its kami with its karmic problems. At the time, kami were thought to be also subjected to karma, and therefore in need of a salvation only Buddhism could provide. Having first appeared during the Nara period (710–794), the jingū-ji remained common for over a millennium until, with few exceptions, they were destroyed in compliance with the new policies of the Meiji administration in 1868.

Shinbutsu bunri

The Shinto shrine went through a massive change when the Meiji administration promulgated a new policy of separation of kami and foreign Buddhas (shinbutsu bunri) with the Kami and Buddhas Separation Order (神仏判然令, Shinbutsu Hanzenrei). This event triggered the haibutsu kishaku, a violent anti-Buddhist movement which in the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate and during the Meiji Restoration caused the forcible closure of thousands of Buddhist temples, the confiscation of their land, the forced return to lay life of monks, and the destruction of books, statues and other Buddhist property.^[29]

Until the end of Edo period, local kami beliefs and Buddhism were intimately connected in what was called shinbutsu shūgō (神仏習合), up to the point where even the same buildings were used as both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

After the law, the two would be forcibly separated. This was done in several stages. At first an order issued by the Jingijimuka in April 1868 ordered the defrocking of shasō and bettō (shrine monks performing Buddhist rites at Shinto shrines).^[30] A few days later, the 'Daijōkan' banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as gongen to Japanese kami and the veneration of Buddhist statues in shrines.^[31]

The third stage consisted of the prohibition against applying the Buddhist term Daibosatsu (Great Bodhisattva) to the syncretic kami Hachiman at the Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū and Usa Hachiman-gū shrines.^[31] In the fourth and final stage, all the defrocked bettō and shasō were told to become "shrine priests" (kannushi) and return to their shrines.^[31] Monks of the Nichiren sect were told not to refer to some deities as kami.^[31]

After a short period in which it enjoyed popular favor, the process of separation of Buddhas and kami however stalled and is still only partially completed. To this day, almost all Buddhist temples in Japan have a small shrine (chinjusha) dedicated to its Shinto tutelary kami, and vice versa Buddhist figures (e.g. goddess Kannon) are revered in Shinto shrines.^[32]

Shintai

The defining features of a shrine are the kami it enshrines and the shintai (or go-shintai if the honorific prefix go- is used) that houses it. While the name literally means "body of a kami", shintai are physical objects worshiped at or near Shinto shrines because a kami is believed to reside in them.^[33] Shintai are not themselves part of kami, but rather just symbolic repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship;^[34] the kami inhabits them.^[35] Shintai are also of necessity yorishiro, that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting kami.

The most common shintai are objects like mirrors, swords, jewels (for example comma-shaped stones called magatama), gohei (wands used during religious rites), and sculptures of kami called shinzō (神像),^{[note 8]} but they can be also natural objects such as rocks, mountains, trees, and waterfalls.^[33] Mountains were among the first, and are still among the most important, shintai, and are worshiped at several famous shrines. A mountain believed to house a kami, as for example Mount Fuji or Mount Miwa, is called a shintai-zan (神体山).^[36] In the case of a man-made shintai, a kami must be invited to reside in it.^[35]

The founding of a new shrine requires the presence of either a pre-existing, naturally occurring shintai (for example a rock or waterfall housing a local kami), or of an artificial one, which must therefore be procured or made to the purpose. An example of the first case are the Nachi Falls, worshiped at Hiryū Shrine near Kumano Nachi Taisha and believed to be inhabited by a kami called Hiryū Gongen.^[37]

The first duty of a shrine is to house and protect its shintai and the kami which inhabits it.^[35] If a shrine has more than one building, the one containing the shintai is called honden; because it is meant for the exclusive use of the kami, it is always closed to the public and is not used for prayer or religious ceremonies. The shintai leaves the honden only during festivals (matsuri), when it is put in portable shrines (mikoshi) and carried around the streets among the faithful.^[35] The portable shrine is used to physically protect the shintai and to hide it from sight.^[35]

Re-enshrinement

Often the opening of a new shrine will require the ritual division of a kami and the transferring of one of the two resulting spirits to the new location, where it will animate the shintai. This process is called kanjō, and the divided spirits bunrei (分霊, literally: "divided spirit"), go-bunrei (御分霊), or wakemitama (分霊).^[38] This process of propagation, described by the priests, in spite of this name, not as a division but as akin to the lighting of a candle from another already lit, leaves the original kami intact in its original place and therefore does not alter any of its properties.^[38] The resulting spirit has all the qualities of the original and is therefore "alive" and permanent.^[38] The process is used often—for example during Shinto festivals (matsuri) to animate temporary shrines called mikoshi.^[39]

The transfer does not necessarily take place from a shrine to another: the divided spirit's new location can be a privately owned object or an individual's house.^[40] The kanjō process was of fundamental importance in the creation of all of Japan's shrine networks (Inari shrines, Hachiman shrines, etc.).

Shake families

The shake (社家) are families and the former social class that dominated Shinto shrines through hereditary positions within a shrine. The social class was abolished in 1871, but many shake families still continue hereditary succession until present day and some were appointed hereditary nobility (Kazoku) after the Meiji Restoration.^[41]

Some of the most well-known shake families include:

Arakida and Watarai of Ise Grand Shrine^[42]
Senge and Kitajima of Izumo Taisha^[42]
Ōnakatomi of Kasuga Taisha^[42]
Urabe of Yoshida Shrine^[42]

Famous shrines and shrine networks

Those worshiped at a shrine are generally Shinto kami, but sometimes they can be Buddhist or Taoist deities, as well as others not generally considered to belong to Shinto.^{[note 9]} Some shrines were established to worship living people or figures from myths and legends. An example is the Tōshō-gū shrines erected to enshrine Tokugawa Ieyasu, or the many shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, like Kitano Tenman-gū.

Often the shrines which were most significant historically do not lie in a former center of power like Kyoto, Nara, or Kamakura. For example, Ise Grand Shrine, the Imperial household's family shrine, is in Mie prefecture. Izumo-taisha, one of the oldest and most revered shrines in Japan, is in Shimane Prefecture.^[43] This is because their location is that of a traditionally important kami, and not that of temporal institutions.

Some shrines exist only in one locality, while others are at the head of a network of branch shrines (分社, bunsha).^[44] The spreading of a kami can be evoked by one or more of several different mechanisms. The typical one is an operation called kanjō, a propagation process through which a kami is invited to a new location and there re-enshrined. The new shrine is administered completely independent from the one it originated from.

However, other transfer mechanisms exist. In Ise Grand Shrine's case, for example, its network of Shinmei shrines (from Shinmei, 神明; another name for Amaterasu) grew due to two concurrent causes. During the late Heian period the cult of Amaterasu, worshiped initially only at Ise Grand Shrine, started to spread to the shrine's possessions through the usual kanjō mechanism.^[44]

Later, branch shrines started to appear further away. The first evidence of a Shinmei shrine far from Ise is given by the Azuma Kagami, a Kamakura-period text which refers to Amanawa Shinmei-gū's appearance in Kamakura, Kanagawa. Amaterasu began to be worshiped in other parts of the country because of the so-called tobi shinmei (飛び神明, flying Shinmei) phenomenon, the belief that she would fly to other locations and settle there.^[44] Similar mechanisms have been responsible for the spreading around the country of other kami.

Notable shrines

The Ise Grand Shrine in Mie prefecture is, with Izumo-taisha, the most representative and historically significant shrine in Japan.^[45] The kami the two enshrine play fundamental roles in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, two texts of great importance to Shinto.^[45] Because its kami, Amaterasu, is an ancestor of the Emperor, Ise Grand Shrine is the Imperial Household's family shrine. Ise Grand Shrine is dedicated specifically to the emperor. In the past, even his mother, wife and grandmother needed his permission to worship there.^[46] Its traditional and mythological foundation date goes back to 4 BCE, but historians believe it was founded around the 3rd to 5th century CE.

Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture is so old that no document about its origin survives, and the year of foundation is unknown. The shrine is the center of a series of sagas and myths.^[45] The kami it enshrines, Ōkuninushi, created Japan before it was populated by Amaterasu's offspring, the Emperor's ancestors.^[45] Because of its physical remoteness, in historical times Izumo has been eclipsed in fame by other sites, but there is still a widespread belief that in October all Japanese gods meet there.^[45] For this reason, October is also known as the "Month Without Gods" (神無月, Kannazuki, one of its names in the old lunar calendar), while at Izumo Taisha alone it is referred to as the Month With Gods (神在月・神有月, Kamiarizuki).^[47]

Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of the largest shrine network in Japan, which has more than 32,000 members, about a third of the total. Inari Okami worship started here in the 8th century and has continued ever since, expanding to the rest of the country. Located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, the shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines. Another very large example is the Yūtoku Inari Shrine in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture.

Ōita Prefecture's Usa Shrine, called in Japanese Usa Jingū or Usa Hachiman-gū, is together with Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, the head of the Hachiman shrine network.^[48] Hachiman worship started here at least as far back as the Nara period (710–794). In 860, the kami was divided and brought to Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū in Kyoto, which became the focus of Hachiman worship in the capital.^[49] Located on top of Mount Otokoyama, Usa Hachiman-gū is dedicated to Emperor Ōjin, his mother Empress Jingū, and female kami Hime no Okami.^[50]

Itsukushima Shrine is, together with Munakata Taisha, at the head of the Munakata shrine network. Remembered for its torii raising from the waters, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, kami of seas and storms and brother of the great sun kami.

Kasuga Taisha is a Shinto shrine in the city of Nara, in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Established in 768 AD and rebuilt several times over the centuries, it is the shrine of the Fujiwara family. The interior is noted for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns that lead up the shrine. The architectural style Kasuga-zukuri takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's honden.

The Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, head of the Kumano shrine network, includes Kumano Hayatama Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Shingu), Kumano Hongu Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Tanabe), and Kumano Nachi Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Nachikatsuura).^[51] The shrines lie between 20 and 40 km one from the other.^[51] They are connected by the pilgrimage route known as "Kumano Sankeimichi" (熊野参詣道). The great Kumano Sanzan complex also includes two Buddhist temples, Seiganto-ji and Fudarakusan-ji.^{[note 10]}^[51]

The religious significance of the Kumano region goes back to prehistoric times and predates all modern religions in Japan.^[51] The area was, and still is, considered a place of physical healing.

Yasukuni shrine, in Tokyo, is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan.

San Marino Jinja in Serravalle, San Marino, is the first Shinto shrine in Europe.

Shrine networks

There are an estimated 80,000 shrines in Japan.^[52] The majority of Shinto shrines are associated with a shrine network.^[8] This number includes only shrines with resident priests. If smaller shrines, such as roadside or household shrines are included, the number would be twice the amount. These are highly concentrated.^[53] Over one-third, 30,000, are associated with Inari. The top six networks comprise over 90% of all shrines. There are at least 20 networks with over 200 shrines.

The twenty largest shrine networks in Japan^[44]^[53]		Branch shrines	Head shrine
Inari shrines		32,000	Fushimi Inari Taisha (Kyoto)
Hachiman shrines		25,000	Usa Hachiman-gū (Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (Kyoto)
Shinmei shrines		18,000	Ise Jingū (Mie prefecture)
Tenjin shrines		10,500	Kitano Tenman-gū (Kyoto), Dazaifu Tenman-gū (Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu)
Munakata shrines		8,500	Munakata Taisha (Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu), Itsukushima Shrine (Hiroshima)
Suwa shrines		5,000	Suwa Taisha (Nagano prefecture)
Hiyoshi shrines		4,000	Hiyoshi Taisha (Shiga prefecture)
Kumano shrines		3,000	Kumano Nachi Taisha (Wakayama prefecture)
Gion shrines^[a]	Tsushima shrines	3,000	Tsushima Shrine (Aichi prefecture)
Gion shrines^[a]	Yasaka shrines	3,000	Yasaka Shrine (Kyoto)
Shirayamahime shrines		2717	Shirayamahime jinja
Atsuta Shrines		2000	Atsuta jingū
Matsunoo Shrines		1114	Matsunoo taisha
Kashima Shrines		918	Kashima jinja
Akiha Shrines		800	Akihasan Hongū Akiha Shrine
Kotohira Shrines		683	Kotohira-gū
Katori Shrines		477	Katori jingū
Hikawa Shrines		287	Hikawa jinja
Kibune Shrines		260	Kibune jinja
Taga shrines		229	Taga taisha

The next ten largest networks contain between 2,000 branches down to about 200 branches, and include the networks headed by Matsunoo-taisha, Kibune Shrine, and Taga-taisha, among others.

Inari shrines

The number of branch shrines gives an approximate indication of their religious significance, and neither Ise Grand Shrine nor Izumo-taisha can claim the first place.^[43] By far the most numerous are shrines dedicated to Inari, tutelary kami of agriculture popular all over Japan, which alone constitute almost a third of the total.^[44] Inari protects fishing, commerce, and productivity in general. Many modern Japanese corporations have shrines dedicated to Inari on their premises. Inari shrines are usually very small and easy to maintain, but can be very large, as in the case of Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head shrine of the network. The kami is enshrined in some Buddhist temples.^[43]

The entrance to an Inari shrine is usually marked by one or more vermilion torii and two white foxes. This red color has come to be identified with Inari because of the prevalence of its use among Inari shrines and their torii.^[54] The kitsune statues are at times mistakenly believed to be a form assumed by Inari, and they typically come in pairs, representing a male and a female, although sex is usually not obvious.^[55] These fox statues hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw – most often a jewel and a key, but a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub are common. Almost all Inari shrines, no matter how small, will feature at least a pair of these statues, usually flanking, on the altar, or in front of the main sanctuary.^[55]

Hachiman shrines

A syncretic entity worshiped as both a kami and a Buddhist daibosatsu, Hachiman is intimately associated with both learning and warriors.^[44] In the sixth or seventh century, Emperor Ōjin and his mother Empress Jingū came to be identified together with Hachiman.^[56] First enshrined at Usa Hachiman-gū in Ōita Prefecture, Hachiman was deeply revered during the Heian period. According to the Kojiki, it was Ōjin who invited Korean and Chinese scholars to Japan, and for this reason he is the patron of writing and learning.

Because as Emperor Ōjin he was an ancestor of the Minamoto clan, Hachiman became the tutelary kami (氏神, ujigami) of the Minamoto samurai clan^[44] of Kawachi (Osaka). After Minamoto no Yoritomo became shōgun and established the Kamakura shogunate, Hachiman's popularity grew, and he became by extension the protector of the warrior class the shōgun had brought to power. For this reason, the shintai of a Hachiman shrine is usually a stirrup or a bow.^[56]

During the Japanese medieval period, Hachiman worship spread throughout Japan among samurai and the peasantry. There are 25,000 shrines in Japan dedicated to him, the second most numerous after those of the Inari network.^[44] Usa Hachiman-gū is the network's head shrine together with Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū. However, Hakozaki Shrine and Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū are historically no less significant shrines and are more popular.

Shinmei shrines

While the ritsuryō legal system was in use, visits by commoners to Ise were forbidden.^[44] With its weakening during the Heian period, commoners started being allowed in the shrine. The growth of the Shinmei shrine network was due to two concomitant causes. During the late Heian period, goddess Amaterasu, worshiped initially only at Ise Grand Shrine, started to be re-enshrined in branch shrines in Ise's own possessions through the typical kanjō mechanism. The first evidence of a Shinmei shrine elsewhere is given by the Azuma Kagami, a Kamakura period text which refers to Amanawa Shinmei-gū's appearance in Kamakura.^[44] Amaterasu spread to other parts of the country because of the so-called tobi shinmei (飛び神明, literally: "flying Shinmei") phenomenon, the belief that Amaterasu flew to other locations and settled there.^[44]

Tenjin shrines

The Tenjin shrine network enshrines 9th-century scholar Sugawara no Michizane. Sugawara had originally been enshrined to placate his spirit, not to be worshiped.^[57] Michizane had been unjustly exiled in his life, and it was necessary to somehow placate his rage, believed to be the cause of a plague and other disasters. Kitano Tenman-gū was the first of the shrines dedicated to him. Because in life he was a scholar, he became the kami of learning, and during the Edo period schools often opened a branch shrine for him.^[44] Another important shrine dedicated to him is Dazaifu Tenman-gū.

Munakata shrines

Headed by Kyūshū's Munakata Taisha and Itsukushima Shrine, shrines in this network enshrine the Three Female Kami of Munakata (宗像三女神, Munakata Sanjoshin), namely Chikishima Hime-no-Kami, Tagitsu Hime-no-Kami, and Tagori Hime-no-Kami.^[58] The same three kami are enshrined elsewhere in the network, sometimes under a different name. However, while Munakata Taisha enshrines all three in separate islands belonging to its complex, branch shrines generally do not. Which kami they enshrine depends on the history of the shrine and the myths tied to it.^[58]

Suwa Shrines

Suwa Shrines are branch shrines of Suwa Taisha.

Hiyoshi shrines

Hiyoshi shrines are branch shrines of Hiyoshi Taisha. They have origins in Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō and worship Oyamakui no Kami.

Kumano shrines

Kumano shrines enshrine the three Kumano mountains: Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi (the Kumano Gongen (熊野権現)).^[59] The point of origin of the Kumano cult is the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, which includes Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速玉大社) (Wakayama Prefecture, Shingu), Kumano Hongu Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Tanabe), and Kumano Nachi Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Nachikatsuura).^[51] There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan.

Gion Shrines

Gion shrines are branch shrines of Tsushima Shrine, Yasaka Shrine or Hiromine Shrine. Historically associated with Gozu Tenno, they became dedicated to Susanoo during the separation of Shinto and Buddhism.

Structure

The following is a list and diagram illustrating the most important parts of a Shinto shrine:

Torii – Shinto gate
Stone stairs
Sandō – the approach to the shrine
Chōzuya or temizuya – place of purification to cleanse one's hands and mouth
Tōrō – decorative stone lanterns
Kagura-den – building dedicated to Noh or the sacred kagura dance
Shamusho – the shrine's administrative office
Ema – wooden plaques bearing prayers or wishes
Sessha/massha – small auxiliary shrines
Komainu – the so-called "lion dogs", guardians of the shrine
Haiden – oratory or hall of worship
Tamagaki – fence surrounding the honden
Honden – main hall, enshrining the kami
On the roof of the haiden and honden are visible chigi (forked roof finials) and katsuogi (short horizontal logs), both common shrine ornamentations.

The general blueprint of a Shinto shrine is Buddhist in origin.^[18] The presence of verandas, stone lanterns, and elaborate gates is an example of this influence. The composition of a Shinto shrine is extremely variable, and none of its many possible features is necessarily present. Even the honden can be missing if the shrine worships a nearby natural shintai.

Since its grounds are sacred, they are usually surrounded by a fence made of stone or wood called tamagaki. Access is made possible by an approach called sandō. The entrances are straddled by gates called torii, which are usually the simplest way to identify a Shinto shrine.

A shrine may include within its grounds several structures, each built for a different purpose.^[60] Among them are the honden or sanctuaries, where the kami are enshrined, the heiden or hall of offerings, where offers and prayers are presented, and the haiden or hall of worship, where there may be seats for worshippers.^[60] The honden is the building that contains the shintai, literally, "the sacred body of the kami".^{[note 11]}

Of these, only the haiden is open to the laity. The honden is usually located behind the haiden and is often much smaller and unadorned. Other notable shrine features are the temizuya, the fountain where visitors cleanse their hands and mouth, and the shamusho (社務所), the office which oversees the shrine.^[60] Buildings are often adorned by chigi and katsuogi, variously oriented poles which protrude from their roof.

Before the Meiji Restoration it was common for a Buddhist temple to be built inside or next to a shrine, or vice versa.^[61] If a shrine housed a Buddhist temple, it was called a jingūji (神宮寺). Analogously, temples all over Japan adopted tutelary kami (鎮守/鎮主, chinju) and built temple shrines (寺社, jisha) to house them.^[62] After the forcible separation of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines (shinbutsu bunri) ordered by the new government in the Meiji period, the connection between the two religions was officially severed, but continued nonetheless in practice and is still visible today.^[61]

Architectural styles

Shrine buildings can have many different basic layouts, usually named either after a famous shrine's honden (e.g. hiyoshi-zukuri, named after Hiyoshi Taisha), or a structural characteristic (e.g., irimoya-zukuri, after the hip-and gable roof it adopts. The suffix -zukuri in this case means "structure".)

The honden's roof is always gabled, and some styles have a veranda-like aisle called hisashi (a 1-ken wide corridor surrounding one or more sides of the core of a shrine or temple). Among the factors involved in the classification, important are the presence or absence of:

hirairi or hirairi-zukuri (平入・平入造) – a style of construction in which the building has its main entrance on the side which runs parallel to the roof's ridge (non gabled-side). The shinmei-zukuri, nagare-zukuri, hachiman-zukuri, and hie-zukuri belong to this type.^[63]
tsumairi or tsumairi-zukuri (妻入・妻入造) – a style of construction in which the building has its main entrance on the side which runs perpendicular to the roof's ridge (gabled side). The taisha-zukuri, sumiyoshi-zukuri, ōtori-zukuri and kasuga-zukuri belong to this type.^[63]

Proportions are important. A building of a given style often must have certain proportions measured in ken (the distance between pillars, a quantity variable from one shrine to another or even within the same shrine).

The oldest styles are the tsumairi shinmei-zukuri, taisha-zukuri, and sumiyoshi-zukuri, believed to predate the arrival of Buddhism.^[63]

The two most common are the hirairi nagare-zukuri and the tsumairi kasuga-zukuri.^[64] Larger, more important shrines tend to have unique styles.

Most common styles

The following are the two most common shrine styles in Japan.

Nagare-zukuri

The flowing style (流造, nagare-zukuri) or flowing gabled style (流破風造, nagare hafu-zukuri) is a style characterized by a very asymmetrical gabled roof (kirizuma-yane (切妻屋根) in Japanese) projecting outwards on the non-gabled side, above the main entrance, to form a portico.^[64]

This is the feature which gives the style its name, the most common among shrines all over Japan. Sometimes the basic layout consisting of an elevated core (母屋, moya) partially surrounded by a veranda called hisashi (all under the same roof) is modified by the addition of a room in front of the entrance.^[64]

The honden varies in roof ridge length from 1 to 11 ken, but is never 6 or 8 ken.^[65] The most common sizes are 1 and 3 ken. The oldest shrine in Japan, Uji's Ujigami Shrine, has a honden of this type. Its external dimensions are 5×3 ken, but internally it is composed of three sanctuaries (内殿, naiden) measuring 1 ken each.^[65]

Kasuga-zukuri

Kasuga-zukuri (春日造) as a style takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's honden. It is characterized by the extreme smallness of the building, just 1×1 ken in size. In Kasuga Taisha's case, this translates in 1.9 m × 2.6 m.^[66] The roof is gabled with a single entrance at the gabled end, decorated with chigi and katsuogi, covered with cypress bark and curved upwards at the eaves. Supporting structures are painted vermillion, while the plank walls are white.^[66]

After the Nagare-zukuri, this is the most common style, with most instances in the Kansai region around Nara.^[64]

Styles predating the arrival of Buddhism

The following four styles predate the arrival in Japan of Buddhism:

Primitive shrine layout with no honden

Unique in that the honden is missing, it is believed shrines of this type are reminiscent of what shrines were like in prehistorical times. The first shrines had no honden because the shintai, or object of worship, was the mountain on which they stood. An extant example is Nara's Ōmiwa Shrine, which still has no honden.^[64] An area near the haiden (hall of worship), sacred and taboo, replaces it for worship. Another prominent example of this style is Futarasan Shrine near Nikkō, whose shintai is Mount Nantai.

Shinmei-zukuri

Shinmei-zukuri (神明造) is an ancient style typical of, and most common at, Ise Grand Shrine, the holiest of Shinto shrines.^[64] It is most common in Mie prefecture.^[67] Characterized by an extreme simplicity, its basic features can be seen in Japanese architecture from the Kofun period (250–538 CE) onwards and it is considered the pinnacle of Japanese traditional architecture. Built in planed, unfinished wood, the honden is either 3×2 ken or 1×1 ken in size, has a raised floor, a gabled roof with an entry on one of the non-gabled sides, no upward curve at the eaves, and decorative logs called chigi and katsuogi protruding from the roof's ridge.^[67] The oldest extant example is Nishina Shinmei Shrine.^[63]

Sumiyoshi-zukuri

Sumiyoshi-zukuri (住吉造) takes its name from Sumiyoshi Taisha's honden in Ōsaka. The building is 4 ken wide and 2 ken deep and has an entrance under the gable.^[63] Its interior is divided in two sections, one at the front (外陣, gejin) and one at the back (内陣, naijin) with a single entrance at the front.^[68] Construction is simple, but the pillars are painted in vermilion and the walls in white.

The style is supposed to have its origin in old palace architecture.^[68] Another example of this style is Sumiyoshi Jinja, part of the Sumiyoshi Sanjin complex in Fukuoka Prefecture.^[68] In both cases, as in many others, there is no veranda.

Taisha-zukuri

Taisha-zukuri or Ōyashiro-zukuri (大社造) is the oldest shrine style, takes its name from Izumo Taisha and, like Ise Grand Shrine's, has chigi and katsuogi, plus archaic features like gable-end pillars and a single central pillar (shin no mihashira).^[64] Because its floor is raised on stilts, it is believed to have its origin in raised-floor granaries similar to those found in Toro, Shizuoka prefecture.^[69]

The honden normally has a 2×2 ken footprint (12.46 × 12.46 m in Izumo Taisha's case), with an entrance on the gabled end. The stairs to the honden are covered by a cypress bark roof. The oldest extant example of the style is Kamosu Jinja's honden in Shimane Prefecture, built in the 16th century.

Other styles

Many other architectural styles exist, most of them rare.

Interpreting shrine names

Shrine nomenclature has changed considerably since the Meiji period. Until then, the vast majority of shrines were small and had no permanent priest.^[27] With very few exceptions, they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.^[27]

They usually enshrined a local tutelary kami, so they were called with the name of the kami followed by terms like gongen; ubusuna (産土), short for "ubusuna no kami", or guardian deity of one's birthplace; or great kami (明神, myōjin). The term jinja (神社), now the most common, was rare.^[27] Examples of this kind of pre-Meiji use are Tokusō Daigongen and Kanda Myōjin.

Today, the term "Shinto shrine" in English is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. This single English word translates several non-equivalent Japanese words, including jinja (神社) as in Yasukuni Jinja; yashiro (社) as in Tsubaki Ōkami Yashiro; miya (宮) as in Watarai no Miya; -gū (宮) as in Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū; jingū (神宮) as in Meiji Jingū; taisha (大社) as in Izumo Taisha;^[60] mori (杜); and hokora/hokura (神庫).

Shrine names are descriptive. A problem in dealing with them is understanding exactly what they mean. Although there is a lot of variation in their composition, it is usually possible to identify in them two parts. The first is the shrine's name proper, or meishō (名称), the second is the so-called shōgō (称号), or "title".^[9]

Meishō

The most common meishō is the location where the shrine stands, as for example in the case of Ise Jingū, the most sacred of shrines, which is located in the city of Ise, Mie prefecture.^[70]

Very often the meishō will be the name of the kami enshrined. An Inari Shrine for example is a shrine dedicated to kami Inari. Analogously, a Kumano Shrine is a shrine that enshrines the three Kumano mountains. A Hachiman Shrine enshrines kami Hachiman. Tokyo's Meiji Shrine enshrines the Meiji Emperor. The name can also have other origins, often unknown or unclear.

Shōgō

The second part of the name defines the status of the shrine.

Jinja (神社) is the most general name for shrine.^[9] Any place that owns a honden (本殿) is a jinja.^[2] These two characters used to be read either "kamu-tsu-yashiro" or "mori", both meaning "kami grove".^[10] Both readings can be found for example in the Man'yōshū.^[10]
Yashiro (社) is a generic term for shinto shrine like jinja.^[2]^[10]
A mori (杜) is a place where a kami is present.^[2] It can therefore be a shrine and the characters 神社, 社 and 杜 can all be read "mori" ("grove").^[10] This reading reflects the fact the first shrines were simply sacred groves or Chinju no Mori where kami were present.^[10]
The suffix -sha or -ja (社), as in Shinmei-sha or Tenjin-ja, indicates a minor shrine that has received through the kanjō process a kami from a more important one.^[9]
Hokora/hokura (神庫) is an extremely small shrine of the kind one finds for example along country roads.^[12]
Jingū (神宮) is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor. For example, in the case of the Ise Jingū and the Meiji Jingū.^[9] The name Jingū alone, can refer only to the Ise Jingū, whose official name is just "Jingū".^[9]
Miya (宮) indicates a shrine enshrining a special kami or a member of the Imperial household like the Empress. There are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.^[2] During the period of state regulation, many -miya names were changed to jinja.
-gū (宮) indicates a shrine enshrining an imperial prince, but there are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.^[9]
A taisha (大社) (the characters are also read ōyashiro) is literally a "great shrine" that was classified as such under the old system of shrine ranking, the shakaku (社格), abolished in 1946.^[2]^[14] Many shrines carrying that shōgō adopted it only after the war.^[9]
During the Japanese Middle Ages, shrines started being called with the name gongen, a term of Buddhist origin.^[17] For example, in Eastern Japan there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called gongen.^[17] Because it represents the application of Buddhist terminology to Shinto kami, its use was legally abolished by the Meiji government with the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order (神仏判然令, Shin-butsu Hanzenrei), and shrines began to be called jinja.^[17]

These names are not equivalent in terms of prestige: a taisha is more prestigious than a -gū, which is more important than a jinja.

Etiquette at shrines

An example of prewar two-beat, one-beat worship. The upper row is the second worship, the middle row is the second clap, and the lower row is the first worship. This is the worship after offering the tamagushi, and the tamagushi can be seen on the table in front. Source: NDLJP:1054789/27.

At shrines there is a relatively standardized system of visit ettiquette that is called Two bows, two claps, one bow [ja; simple]. It goes roughly as follows^[71]^[72]

Bow once before entering Torii.^[71]^[72]
1. Do not walk through the center of a Torii as that is reserved for deities.^[72]
Purify hands and mouth with chozuya.^[71]^[72]
Put money in the offering box.^[73]^[74]
Ring the bell 2-3 times if present.^[75]^[74]
Bow twice.^[71]^[72]^[74]
Clap twice.^[71]^[72]^[74]
Bow once.^[71]^[72] This bow should be deeper than the others^[76] at a 90-degree angle.^[74]
When exiting the shrine, turn around and again bow once at the Torii.^[77]

There are rare exceptions to this system. For example, at Usa Jingū and Izumo-taisha, it is correct etiquette to clap four times in front of the offering box rather than the usual twice.^[78]^[79]

Shrines with structures designated as National Treasures

Shrines that are part of a World Heritage Site are marked with a dagger (†).

Tōhoku region
- Ōsaki Hachiman Shrine (Sendai, Miyagi)
Kantō region
- Nikkō Tōshō-gū† (Nikkō, Tochigi)
- Rinnō-ji† (Nikkō, Tochigi)
Chūbu region
- Nishina Shinmei Shrine (Ōmachi, Nagano)
Kansai region
- Onjō-ji (Ōtsu, Shiga)
- Hiyoshi Taisha (Ōtsu, Shiga)
- Mikami Shrine (Yasu, Shiga)
- Ōsasahara Shrine (Yasu, Shiga)
- Tsukubusuma Shrine (Nagahama, Shiga)
- Namura Shrine (Ryūō, Shiga)
- Kamo Shrine† (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Daigo-ji† (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Toyokuni Shrine (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Kitano Tenman-gū (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Ujigami Shrine† (Uji, Kyoto)
- Sumiyoshi Taisha (Osaka, Osaka)
- Sakurai Shrine (Sakai, Osaka)
- Kasuga Shrine† (Nara, Nara)
- Enjō-ji (Nara, Nara)
- Isonokami Shrine (Tenri, Nara)
- Udamikumari Shrine (Uda, Nara)
Chūgoku region
Shikoku region
- Kandani Shrine (Sakaide, Kagawa)
Kyūshū region
- Usa Shrine (Usa, Ōita)
- Aoi Aso Shrine (Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto)

Officiants

Kannushi

A kannushi (神主, "kami master") or shinshoku (神職, "kami employee") is a priest responsible for the maintenance of a shrine, as well as for leading worship of a given kami.^[60] These two terms were not always synonyms. Originally, a kannushi was a holy man who could work miracles and who, thanks to purification rites, could work as an intermediary between kami and man, but later the term evolved to being synonymous with shinshoku, a man who works at a shrine and holds religious ceremonies there.^[2]^[80] Women can become kannushi, and it is common for widows to succeed their husbands.^[81]

Miko

A miko (巫女) is a shrine maiden who has trained for and taken up several duties at a shrine including assistance of shrine functions such as the sale of sacred goods, including amulets known as omamori, paper talisman known as ofuda, wood tablets known as ema and among other items, daily tidying of the premises, and performing the sacred kagura dances on certain occasions.

Gallery

Hirairi style: entrance on the non-gabled side
Tsumairi style: entrance on the gabled side
Some setsumassha
A hokora
Yasuzumi Jinja [ja] is famous not only for praying for safe childbirth, but also as a motorcycle shrine.

Notes

Footnotes

^ Also called shinden (神殿)
^ Because thesessha and massha once had different meanings but are now officially synonyms, these shrines are sometimes called setsumatsusha (摂末社), a neologism that fuses the two old names
^ The word yorishiro (依り代) literally means approach substitute. Yorishiro were tools conceived to attract the kami and give them a physical space to occupy, thus making them accessible to human beings.
^ The term setsumatsusha is the combination of the two terms sessha and massha.
^ Many other sacred objects (mirrors, swords, comma-shaped jewels called magatama) were originally yorishiro, and only later became kami by association
^ A hokora today is an extremely small shrine, of the type one sees on many roadsides
^ The rōmon, or tower gate, is a gate which looks like a two-storied gate, but in fact has only one
^ Kami are as a rule not represented in anthropomorphic or physical terms, however numerous paintings and statues representing them have appeared under Buddhist influence
^ The opposite can also happen. Toyokawa Inari is a Buddhist temple of the Sōtō sect in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture and, with its Akasaka branch, one of the centers of Inari's cult (Smyers 1999:26, 34)
^ The presence of Buddhist temples within a Shinto shrine complex is due to an integration of Buddhism and Shinto (Shinbutsu shūgō) which used to be normal before the Meiji restoration and is still common. The kami which inhabits the Nachi Falls within the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, the already mentioned Hiryū Gongen, is itself syncretic.
^ In spite of its name, the shintai is actually a temporary repository of the enshrined kami. (Smyers, page 44)

^ Alongside Hiromine shrine the three share a tradition of the Gion cult. If grouped together they would be the 6th largest shrine network

Citations

^ Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary
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^ Mori Mizue
^ " Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 92.
^ Japanese Religion: A Survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Abe Yoshiya and David Reid, translators. (Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1972) p. 239.
^ "The Yasukuni Shrine Problem in the East Asian Context: Religion and Politics in Modern Japan: Foundation" (PDF). Retrieved 1 January 2014.
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^ ^a ^b Theobald, Ulrich. "Sheshen 社神, Local Deities (www.chinaknowledge.de)". www.chinaknowledge.de. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
^ ^a ^b Basic Terms of Shinto, Hokora retrieved on July 1, 2008
^ Tamura, Yoshiro (2000). "The Birth of the Japanese nation". Japanese Buddhism - A Cultural History (First ed.). Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company. p. 232 pages. ISBN 4-333-01684-3.
^ ^a ^b Myōjin taisha, Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved on July 2, 2008
^ Mure, Jin. "Sessha, massha" (in Japanese). Shokagukan. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
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^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Encyclopedia of Shinto, Gongen shinkō, accessed on October 5, 2008
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^ "Hachiman Shinkō". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugakuin University. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
^ "Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine". Kansai Institute of Information Systems and Industrial. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Sacred site "Kumano Sanzan" Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine accessed on June 12, 2008
^ Karan, Pradyumna. (2010). Japan in the 21st Century: Environment, Economy, and Society, p. 72; (1997). Living Religions: An Encyclopaedia of the World's Faiths, p. 191.
^ ^a ^b "Nationwide numbers of Emanation Branches(bunsha) of Famous Shrine", from "Shamei Bunpu (Shrine Names and Distributions)"
^ Smyers (1999:60, 177)
^ ^a ^b Smyers (1999:93)
^ ^a ^b Ashkenazy, Michael (November 5, 2003). Handbook of Japanese Mythology (World Mythology) (Hardcover). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-467-1.
^ John Breen; Mark Teeuwen, eds. (July 2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2363-4. OCLC 43487317.
^ ^a ^b "Munakata Shinkō". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
^ Encyclopedia of Shinto, Kumano Shinkō, accessed on April 1, 2010
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e The History of Shrines
^ ^a ^b See Shinbutsu shūgō article
^ Mark Teeuwen in Breen and Teeuwen (2000:95-96)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Jinja Kenchiku, Shogakukan Nihon Daihyakka Zensho, accessed on November 29, 2009
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g History and Typology of Shrine Architecture, Encyclopedia of Shinto accessed on November 29, 2009
^ ^a ^b JAANUS, Nagare-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009
^ ^a ^b JAANUS, Kasuga-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009
^ ^a ^b JAANUS, Shinmei-zukuri accessed on December 1, 2009
^ ^a ^b ^c JAANUS, Sumiyoshi-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009
^ JAANUS, Taisha-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009
^ Ise, the Holiest Shrine Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, Berkeley University ORIAS site accessed on August 10, 2008
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Do you know? Shrine manners and their meanings | Feel Fukuoka Japan". 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Japanese Customs and Etiquette｜Dive deeper into Yakult —the Probiotic…".
^ "Learn about Shinto - How to behave in a shinto shrine". 供TOMO ONLINE STORE. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "二礼二拍一礼は参拝の基本。その歴史と考え方とは。｜葬儀･家族葬なら【よりそうお葬式】". www.yoriso.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-11.
^ Japanistry (2016-11-06). "Visiting Shrines & Temples in Japan: Etiquette & Customs". japanistry.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
^ "Pray｜Ise Jingu". Ise Jingu. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
^ "Etiquette For Worship" retrieved May 31 2024.
^ "Usa Jingu - About Worship" retrieved May 31 2024.
^ "Izumo-Taisha - Frequently Asked Questions" retrieved May 31 2024.
^ Moriyasu, Jin. "Kannushi". Nihon Hyakka Zensho (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
^ "Shinshoku". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 2009-10-16.

References

Breen, John; Mark Teeuwen, eds. (July 2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2363-4.
Brown, Delmer M. (1993). The Early Evolution of Historical Consciousness in "Cambridge History of Japan", Vol. 1. Cambridge, New York & Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-22352-2.
Burkman, Thomas W. (June–September 1974). "The Urakami Incidents and the Struggle for Religious Tolerance in Early Meiji Japan" (PDF). Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 1 (2–3): 143–216. doi:10.18874/jjrs.1.2-3.1974.143-216. Retrieved 2008-07-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Fujita Masaya; Koga Shūsaku, eds. (April 10, 1990). Nihon Kenchiku-shi (in Japanese) (September 30, 2008 ed.). Shōwa-dō. ISBN 978-4-8122-9805-3.
Hardacre, Helen (1986). "Creating State Shinto: The Great Promulgation Campaign and the New Religions". Journal of Japanese Studies. 12 (1): 29–63. doi:10.2307/132446. JSTOR 132446.
Havens, Norman; Inoue, Nobutaka (translated by Norman Havens and Helen Hardacre), eds. (2004). "Jinja (Encyclopedia of Shinto, vol. 2)" [Shrines]. Encyclopedia of Shinto. Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Kokugakuin University. ISBN 978-4-905853-12-1.
Mori, Mizue (2005-06-02). "Honden". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugakuin University. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
Sokyo Ono; William Woodard (2004). Shinto - The Kami Way. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8048-3557-2.
Smyers, Karen Ann (1999). The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Contemporary Japanese Inari Worship. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2102-9.
The History of Shrines, Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved on June 10, 2008
Shinto Shrines or Temples?^{[permanent dead link‍]} retrieved on June 10, 2008
Shrine Architecture Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved on June 10, 2008
Overview of a Shinto Shrine, a detailed visual introduction to the structure of a Shinto shrine, Encyclopedia of Shinto retrieved on June 8, 2008
Jinja no Shōgō ni Tsuite Oshiete Kudasai Archived 2014-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, Shinto Online Network Association, retrieved on July 2, 2008 (in Japanese)
Tamura, Yoshiro (2000). "The Birth of the Japanese nation in". Japanese Buddhism: A Cultural History (First ed.). Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company. ISBN 978-4-333-01684-6.
Stuart D. B. Picken. Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings. Greenwood, 1994. ISBN 0313264317

External links

Encyclopedia of Shinto, Kokugakuin University
Jinja and Shinto, site of the Shinto Online Network Association
Jinja Honchō, the Association of Shinto Shrines
(in Japanese) Kokugakuin University Shinto Jinja Database
Shinto Shrine types

[3] Also called shinden (神殿)

[6] Because thesessha and massha once had different meanings but are now officially synonyms, these shrines are sometimes called setsumatsusha (摂末社), a neologism that fuses the two old names

[15] The word yorishiro (依り代) literally means approach substitute. Yorishiro were tools conceived to attract the kami and give them a physical space to occupy, thus making them accessible to human beings.

[19] The term setsumatsusha is the combination of the two terms sessha and massha.

[23] Many other sacred objects (mirrors, swords, comma-shaped jewels called magatama) were originally yorishiro, and only later became kami by association

[24] A hokora today is an extremely small shrine, of the type one sees on many roadsides

[33] The rōmon, or tower gate, is a gate which looks like a two-storied gate, but in fact has only one

[43] Kami are as a rule not represented in anthropomorphic or physical terms, however numerous paintings and statues representing them have appeared under Buddhist influence

[51] The opposite can also happen. Toyokawa Inari is a Buddhist temple of the Sōtō sect in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture and, with its Akasaka branch, one of the centers of Inari's cult (Smyers 1999:26, 34)

[61] The presence of Buddhist temples within a Shinto shrine complex is due to an integration of Buddhism and Shinto (Shinbutsu shūgō) which used to be normal before the Meiji restoration and is still common. The kami which inhabits the Nachi Falls within the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, the already mentioned Hiryū Gongen, is itself syncretic.

[72] In spite of its name, the shintai is actually a temporary repository of the enshrined kami. (Smyers, page 44)

[64] Alongside Hiromine shrine the three share a tradition of the Gion cult. If grouped together they would be the 6th largest shrine network

[:0-1] Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii

[IK-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary

[scheid2-4] Bernhard Scheid. "Religiöse Bauwerke in Japan" (in German). University of Vienna. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

[5] Mori Mizue

[7] " Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 92.

[8] Japanese Religion: A Survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Abe Yoshiya and David Reid, translators. (Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1972) p. 239.

[9] "The Yasukuni Shrine Problem in the East Asian Context: Religion and Politics in Modern Japan: Foundation" (PDF). Retrieved 1 January 2014.

[breenteeuwen-10] Breen, Teeuwen in Breen, Teeuwen (2000:1)

[jinja.jp-11] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Shinto Online Network Association Jinja no Shōgō ni Tsuite Oshiete Kudasai Archived 2014-10-19 at the Wayback Machine

[BT43-12] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Sonoda Minoru in Breen, Teeuwen (2000:43)

[:03-13] Theobald, Ulrich. "Sheshen 社神, Local Deities (www.chinaknowledge.de)". www.chinaknowledge.de. Retrieved 2023-04-01.

[:1-14] Basic Terms of Shinto, Hokora retrieved on July 1, 2008

[Tamura202-16] Tamura, Yoshiro (2000). "The Birth of the Japanese nation". Japanese Buddhism - A Cultural History (First ed.). Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company. p. 232 pages. ISBN 4-333-01684-3.

[:2-17] Myōjin taisha, Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved on July 2, 2008

[sgk-18] Mure, Jin. "Sessha, massha" (in Japanese). Shokagukan. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2010.

[IK2-20] Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version.

[sos3-21] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Encyclopedia of Shinto, Gongen shinkō, accessed on October 5, 2008

[Tamura20-22] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Tamura, page 21

[NKS-25] Fujita, Koga (2008:20-21)

[26] "English | Ohmiwa Jinja Shrine | 大神神社（おおみわじんじゃ）". April 17, 2014.

[cambridge-27] Cambridge History of Japan (1993:524)

[:022-28] Bohan, Elise; Dinwiddie, Robert; Challoner, Jack; Stuart, Colin; Harvey, Derek; Wragg-Sykes, Rebecca; Chrisp, Peter; Hubbard, Ben; Parker, Phillip; et al. (Writers) (February 2016). Big History. Foreword by David Christian (1st American ed.). New York: DK. p. 382. ISBN 978-1-4654-5443-0. OCLC 940282526.

[29] "Jogan Gishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 139.

[nussbaum178-30] Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Engi-shiki" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 178.

[31] " Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inv, 2011) p. 92.

[32] Philippi, Donald L. (1990). Norito: A Translation of the Ancient Japanese Ritual Prayers. Princeton University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0691014890.

[hardacre-34] Hardacre (1986:31)

[masato-35] Satō, Masato: "Jingūji". Encyclopedia of Shinto, Kokugakuin University, retrieved on February 28, 2007

[EoSHK-36] "Haibutsukishaku", Encyclopedia of Shinto.

[Burkman-37] Burkman, The Urakami Incidents and the Struggle for Religious Toleration in Early Meiji Japan, p. 175.

[EoSSB-38] "Shinbutsu Bunri", Encyclopedia of Shinto.

[Scheid-39] Scheid, Grundbegriffe, Shinto.

[sos-40] Shintai, Encyclopedia of Shinto

[41] Smeyers, page 44

[scheid1-42] Bernhard Scheid. "Schreine" (in German). University of Vienna. Retrieved 27 March 2010..

[ono-44] Ono, Woodard (2004:100)

[nachi-45] Kamizaka, Jirō. "Hiryū Gongen" (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport - Kinki Regional Development Bureau. Retrieved 28 March 2010.

[Smyers147-46] Smyers (1999:235)

[sonoda12-47] Sonoda (1975:12)

[Smyers156-48] Smyers (1999: 156-160)

[:02-49] Encyclopedia Nipponica. Shogakukan. 2001. Shake (社家). OCLC 14970117.

[:13-50] Gibney, Frank B (1991). Britannica International Encyclopædia. TBS Britannica. Shake (社家). OCLC 834589717.

[schreine-52] Scheid, Bernhard. "Bekannte Schreine" (in German). University of Vienna. Retrieved 23 March 2010.

[bunpu-53] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Motegi, Sadazumi. "Shamei Bunpu (Shrine Names and Distributions)" (in Japanese). Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 23 March 2010.

[IUI-54] Scheid, Bernhard. "Ise und Izumo" (in German). University of Vienna. Retrieved 31 March 2010.

[EOS-IS-55] "Ise Shinkō". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 31 March 2010.

[56] Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version

[usa-57] "Yuisho" (in Japanese). Usa Jingū. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2010.

[hachi-58] "Hachiman Shinkō". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugakuin University. Retrieved 5 April 2010.

[iwa-59] "Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine". Kansai Institute of Information Systems and Industrial. Retrieved 1 April 2010.

[ks-60] Sacred site "Kumano Sanzan" Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine accessed on June 12, 2008

[62] Karan, Pradyumna. (2010). Japan in the 21st Century: Environment, Economy, and Society, p. 72; (1997). Living Religions: An Encyclopaedia of the World's Faiths, p. 191.

[bunshanum-63] "Nationwide numbers of Emanation Branches(bunsha) of Famous Shrine", from "Shamei Bunpu (Shrine Names and Distributions)"

[65] Smyers (1999:60, 177)

[Smyers93-66] Smyers (1999:93)

[ash-67] Ashkenazy, Michael (November 5, 2003). Handbook of Japanese Mythology (World Mythology) (Hardcover). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-467-1.

[suga-68] John Breen; Mark Teeuwen, eds. (July 2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2363-4. OCLC 43487317.

[munakata-69] "Munakata Shinkō". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 5 April 2010.

[kumano-70] Encyclopedia of Shinto, Kumano Shinkō, accessed on April 1, 2010

[HoS-71] The History of Shrines

[SS-73] See Shinbutsu shūgō article

[BT95-74] Mark Teeuwen in Breen and Teeuwen (2000:95-96)

[yahoo-75] Jinja Kenchiku, Shogakukan Nihon Daihyakka Zensho, accessed on November 29, 2009

[ko-76] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g History and Typology of Shrine Architecture, Encyclopedia of Shinto accessed on November 29, 2009

[jana-77] JAANUS, Nagare-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009

[jaka-78] JAANUS, Kasuga-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009

[jashi-79] JAANUS, Shinmei-zukuri accessed on December 1, 2009

[jasu-80] JAANUS, Sumiyoshi-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009

[jata-81] JAANUS, Taisha-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009

[82] Ise, the Holiest Shrine Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, Berkeley University ORIAS site accessed on August 10, 2008

[:6-83] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Do you know? Shrine manners and their meanings | Feel Fukuoka Japan". 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2023-02-12.

[:7-84] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Japanese Customs and Etiquette｜Dive deeper into Yakult —the Probiotic…".

[85] "Learn about Shinto - How to behave in a shinto shrine". 供TOMO ONLINE STORE. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-12.

[:22-86] "二礼二拍一礼は参拝の基本。その歴史と考え方とは。｜葬儀･家族葬なら【よりそうお葬式】". www.yoriso.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-11.

[87] Japanistry (2016-11-06). "Visiting Shrines & Temples in Japan: Etiquette & Customs". japanistry.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.

[88] "Pray｜Ise Jingu". Ise Jingu. Retrieved 2023-02-12.

[89] "Etiquette For Worship" retrieved May 31 2024.

[90] "Usa Jingu - About Worship" retrieved May 31 2024.

[91] "Izumo-Taisha - Frequently Asked Questions" retrieved May 31 2024.

[ya-92] Moriyasu, Jin. "Kannushi". Nihon Hyakka Zensho (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2009-10-16.

[EB-93] "Shinshoku". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 2009-10-16.

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Shinto}}
-A {{Nihongo|'''Shinto shrine'''|神社|jinja|extra=archaic: ''shinsha'', meaning: "place of the god(s)"}}<ref name=":0">Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii</ref> is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''[[kami]]'', the deities of the [[Shinto]] religion.<ref name="IK"/>
+A {{Nihongo|'''Shinto shrine'''|神社|jinja|extra=archaic: ''shinsha'', meaning: "kami shrine"}}<ref name=":0">Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii</ref> is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''[[kami]]'', the deities of the [[Shinto]] religion.<ref name="IK"/>
 The ''[[honden]]''<ref group="note">Also called {{nihongo|''shinden''|神殿}}</ref> (本殿, meaning: "main hall") is where a shrine's patron ''kami'' is/are enshrined.<ref name="IK">Iwanami {{nihongo|[[Kōjien]]|広辞苑}} Japanese dictionary</ref><ref name="scheid2">{{cite web |last=[[Bernhard Scheid]] |title=Religiöse Bauwerke in Japan |url=http://www.univie.ac.at/rel_jap/bauten/bauten.htm |access-date=27 June 2010 |publisher=University of Vienna |language=de}}</ref> The ''honden'' may be absent in cases where a shrine stands on or near a sacred mountain, tree, or other object which can be worshipped directly or in cases where a shrine possesses either an altar-like structure, called a ''[[himorogi]],'' or an object believed to be capable of attracting spirits, called a ''[[yorishiro]],'' which can also serve as direct bonds to a ''kami''.<ref>Mori Mizue</ref> There may be a {{nihongo|''[[haiden (Shinto)|haiden]]''|拝殿||meaning: "hall of worship"}} and other structures as well.
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 [[File:Jinja etymology.svg|thumb|Etymology of Jinja from oracle bone characters]]{{Nihongo|2=[[wikt:神社|神社]]|3=Jinja}} is the most general name for shrine.<ref name="jinja.jp" /> Any place that owns a {{nihongo|''[[honden]]''|本殿}} is a ''jinja''.<ref name="IK" /> These two characters used to be read either "kamu-tsu-yashiro" or "mori" in [[kunyomi]], both meaning "kami grove".<ref name="BT43" /> Both readings can be found for example in the [[Man'yōshū]].<ref name="BT43" />
-{{Nihongo|2=社|3=Sha}} itself was not an initially secular term. In Chinese it alone historically could refer to [[Tudigong]], or soil gods, a kind of [[tutelary deity]] seen as subordinate to [[City God (China)|City Gods]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Theobald |first=Ulrich |title=Sheshen 社神, Local Deities (www.chinaknowledge.de) |url=http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Religion/personssheshen.html |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=www.chinaknowledge.de |language=en}}</ref> Such deities are also often called ({{Lang-zh|c=神社|p=shèshén|labels=no}}), or the same characters in the reverse order.<ref name=":03" /> Its Kunyomi reading {{nihongo|''Yashiro''|社}} is a generic term for shinto shrine like ''jinja''.<ref name="IK" /><ref name="BT43" />
+{{Nihongo|2=社|3=Sha}} itself was not an initially secular term. In Chinese it alone historically could refer to [[Tudigong]], or soil gods, a kind of [[tutelary deity]] seen as subordinate to [[City God (China)|City Gods]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Theobald |first=Ulrich |title=Sheshen 社神, Local Deities (www.chinaknowledge.de) |url=http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Religion/personssheshen.html |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=www.chinaknowledge.de |language=en}}</ref> Such deities are also often called ({{Lang-zh|c=社神|p=shèshén|labels=no}}), or the same characters in the reverse order.<ref name=":03" /> Its Kunyomi reading {{nihongo|''Yashiro''|社}} is a generic term for shinto shrine like ''jinja''.<ref name="IK" /><ref name="BT43" />
 It is also used as a suffix {{nihongo|''-sha'' or sometimes ''-ja''|社}}, as in ''Shinmei-sha'' or ''Tenjin-ja'', indicates a minor shrine that has received through the ''[[kanjō]]'' process a ''kami'' from a more important one.<ref name="jinja.jp" />
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 {{Nihongo|2=[[wikt:宮|宮]]|3=-gū}} indicates a shrine enshrining an imperial prince, but there are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.<ref name="jinja.jp" /> The word {{Nihongo|2=[[wikt:宮|宮]]|3=gū}} often found at the end of names of shrines such as [[Hachimangu]], [[Tenmangū]], or {{Nihongo|[[List of Jingū|Jingu]]|神宮}} comes from the Chinese ({{Lang-zh|c=宮|p=gong|labels=no}}) meaning palace or a temple to a high deity.
-{{nihongo|''Jingū''|神宮}} is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor, as for example in the case of the Ise Jingū and the Meiji Jingū.<ref name="jinja.jp" /> The name ''Jingū'' alone, however, can refer only to the Ise Jingū, whose official name is just "Jingū".<ref name="jinja.jp" /> It is a formulation close to {{Nihongo|2=神社|3=jinja}} with the character {{Nihongo|2=社|3=Sha}} being replaced with {{Nihongo|2=宮|3=gū}}, emphasizing its high rank
+{{nihongo|''Jingū''|神宮}} is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor, as for example in the case of the Ise Jingū and the Meiji Jingū.<ref name="jinja.jp" /> The name ''Jingū'' alone, can refer only to the Ise Jingū, whose official name is just "Jingū".<ref name="jinja.jp" /> It is a formulation close to {{Nihongo|2=神社|3=jinja}} with the character {{Nihongo|2=社|3=Sha}} being replaced with {{Nihongo|2=宮|3=gū}}, emphasizing its high rank
 {{nihongo|''Miya''|宮}} is the kunyomi of {{Nihongo|2=[[wikt:宮|宮]]|3=-gū}} and indicates a shrine enshrining a special ''kami'' or a member of the Imperial household like the Empress, but there are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.<ref name="IK" /> During the period of state regulation, many ''-miya'' names were changed to ''jinja''.
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 {{nihongo|[[Chinjusha]]|鎮守社•鎮社|extra=or tutelary ''shrine''}} comes from Chinju written as 鎮守 or sometimes just 鎮. meaning Guardian, and {{Nihongo|2=社|3=Sha}}
-{{nihongo|[[Setsumatsusha]]|摂末社|}}<ref name="sgk">{{cite web |last=Mure |first=Jin |title=Sessha, massha |url=http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E6%91%82%E7%A4%BE%E3%83%BB%E6%9C%AB%E7%A4%BE/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121219003453/http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E6%91%82%E7%A4%BE%E3%83%BB%E6%9C%AB%E7%A4%BE/ |archive-date=19 December 2012 |access-date=9 March 2010 |publisher=Shokagukan |language=ja}}</ref><ref group="note">The term ''setsumatsusha'' is the combination of the two terms ''sessha'' and ''massha''.</ref> is a combination of two words {{nihongo|'''''Sessha'''''|摂社|auxiliary shrine}} and {{nihongo|'''''massha'''''|末社|undershrine}}.<ref name="IK2">Iwanami {{nihongo|[[Kōjien]]|広辞苑}} Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version.</ref> They are also called also called {{nihongo|'''''eda-miya'''''|枝宮|branch shrines}}<ref name="IK2" /> which contains {{nihongo|''Miya''|宮}}
+{{nihongo|[[Setsumatsusha]]|摂末社|}}<ref name="sgk">{{cite web |last=Mure |first=Jin |title=Sessha, massha |url=http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E6%91%82%E7%A4%BE%E3%83%BB%E6%9C%AB%E7%A4%BE/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121219003453/http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E6%91%82%E7%A4%BE%E3%83%BB%E6%9C%AB%E7%A4%BE/ |archive-date=19 December 2012 |access-date=9 March 2010 |publisher=Shokagukan |language=ja}}</ref><ref group="note">The term ''setsumatsusha'' is the combination of the two terms ''sessha'' and ''massha''.</ref> is a combination of two words {{nihongo|'''''Sessha'''''|摂社|auxiliary shrine}} and {{nihongo|'''''massha'''''|末社|undershrine}}.<ref name="IK2">Iwanami {{nihongo|[[Kōjien]]|広辞苑}} Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version.</ref> They are also called {{nihongo|'''''eda-miya'''''|枝宮|branch shrines}}<ref name="IK2" /> which contains {{nihongo|''Miya''|宮}}
 During the [[History of Japan#Feudal Japan (1185-1603)|Japanese Middle Ages]], shrines started being called with the name {{nihongo||権現|[[gongen]]}}, a term of Buddhist origin.<ref name="sos3" /> For example, in Eastern Japan there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called  ''gongen''.<ref name="sos3" /> Because it represents the application of Buddhist terminology to Shinto ''kami'', its use was legally abolished by the Meiji government with the {{nihongo|[[Shinbutsu bunri|Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order]]|神仏判然令|Shin-butsu Hanzenrei}}, and shrines began to be called ''jinja''.<ref name="sos3" />
@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 True shrines arose with the beginning of agriculture, when the need arose to attract ''kami'' to ensure good harvests.<ref name="NKS"/> These were, however, just temporary structures built for a particular purpose, a tradition of which traces can be found in some rituals.{{Clarify|reason=Which rituals?|date=November 2019}}<ref name="NKS"/>
-Hints of the first shrines can still be found.<ref name="Tamura20"/> [[Ōmiwa Shrine]] in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], for example, contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve the mountain on which it stands—images or objects are therefore unnecessary.<ref name="Tamura20"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://oomiwa.or.jp/english/|title=English &#124; Ohmiwa Jinja Shrine &#124; 大神神社（おおみわじんじゃ）|date=April 17, 2014}}</ref> For the same reason, it has a worship hall, a {{nihongo|''haiden''|拝殿}}, but no place to house the ''kami'', called {{nihongo|''shinden''|神殿}}.<ref name="Tamura20" /> Archeology confirms that, during the Yayoi period, the most common {{nihongo|''[[shintai]]''|神体}} (a ''yorishiro'' actually housing the enshrined ''kami'') in the earliest shrines were nearby mountain peaks that supplied stream water to the plains where people lived.<ref name="cambridge">Cambridge History of Japan (1993:524)</ref> Besides the already mentioned Ōmiwa Shrine, another important example is [[Mount Nantai]], a [[phallus]]-shaped mountain in [[Nikkō, Tochigi|Nikko]] which constitutes [[Futarasan Shrine]]'s ''shintai''.<ref name="cambridge"/> The name {{nihongo|Nantai|男体}} means "man's body".<ref name="cambridge"/> The mountain provides water to the rice paddies below and has the shape of the [[phallic symbol|phallic]] stone rods found in pre-agricultural Jōmon sites.<ref name="cambridge"/>
+Hints of the first shrines can still be found.<ref name="Tamura20"/> [[Ōmiwa Shrine]] in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], for example, contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve the mountain on which it stands—images or objects are therefore unnecessary.<ref name="Tamura20"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://oomiwa.or.jp/english/|title=English &#124; Ohmiwa Jinja Shrine &#124; 大神神社（おおみわじんじゃ）|date=April 17, 2014}}</ref> For the same reason, it has a worship hall, a {{nihongo|''haiden''|拝殿}}, but no place to house the ''kami'', called {{nihongo|''shinden''|神殿}}.<ref name="Tamura20" /> Archeology confirms that, during the Yayoi period, the most common {{nihongo|''[[shintai]]''|神体}} (a ''yorishiro'' actually housing the enshrined ''kami'') in the earliest shrines were nearby mountain peaks that supplied stream water to the plains where people lived.<ref name="cambridge">Cambridge History of Japan (1993:524)</ref>
+Besides Ōmiwa Shrine, another important example is [[Mount Nantai]], a [[phallus]]-shaped mountain in [[Nikkō, Tochigi|Nikko]] which constitutes [[Futarasan Shrine]]'s ''shintai''.<ref name="cambridge"/> The name {{nihongo|Nantai|男体}} means "man's body".<ref name="cambridge"/> The mountain provides water to the rice paddies below and has the shape of the [[phallic symbol|phallic]] stone rods found in pre-agricultural Jōmon sites.<ref name="cambridge"/>
 === First known shrine ===
@@ Line 60: / Line 62: @@
 ===Rites and ceremonies===
-In 905 CE, [[Emperor Daigo]] ordered a compilation of Shinto rites and rules.  Previous attempts at codification are known to have taken place, but, neither the ''Konin'' nor the ''Jogan Gishiki''<ref>"Jogan Gishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., ''Historical Dictionary of Shinto''. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 139.</ref> survive.  Initially under the direction of [[Fujiwara no Tokihira]], the project stalled at his death in April 909. [[Fujiwara no Tadahira]], his brother, took charge and in 912<ref name="nussbaum178">[[Louis-Frédéric|Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric]]. (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA178&dq= "''Engi-shiki''"] in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178.</ref> and in 927 the [[Engi-shiki]] (延喜式, literally: "Procedures of the Engi Era") was promulgated in fifty volumes.  This, the first formal codification of Shinto rites and [[Norito]] (liturgies and prayers) to survive, became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice and efforts.<ref>" Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., ''Historical Dictionary of Shinto''. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inv, 2011) p. 92.</ref> In addition to the first ten volumes of this fifty volume work (which concerned worship and the [[Jingi-kan|Department of Worship]]), sections in subsequent volumes addressing the [[Ministry of Ceremonies (Japan)|Ministry of Ceremonies]] (治部省) and the [[Ministry of the Imperial Household]] (宮内省) also regulated Shinto worship and contained liturgical rites and regulation.<ref>{{cite book|last=Philippi|first=Donald L.|title=Norito: A Translation of the Ancient Japanese Ritual Prayers|year=1990|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0691014890|page=1}}</ref> Felicia Gressitt Brock published a two-volume annotated English language translation of the first ten volumes with an introduction entitled ''Engi-shiki; procedures of the Engi Era'' in 1970.
+In 905 CE, [[Emperor Daigo]] ordered a compilation of Shinto rites and rules.  Previous attempts at codification are known to have taken place, but, neither the ''Konin'' nor the ''Jogan Gishiki''<ref>"Jogan Gishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., ''Historical Dictionary of Shinto''. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 139.</ref> survive.  Initially under the direction of [[Fujiwara no Tokihira]], the project stalled at his death in April 909. [[Fujiwara no Tadahira]], his brother, took charge and in 912<ref name="nussbaum178">[[Louis-Frédéric|Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric]]. (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA178&dq= "''Engi-shiki''"] in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178.</ref> and in 927 the [[Engi-shiki]] (延喜式, literally: "Procedures of the Engi Era") was promulgated in fifty volumes.
+This, the first formal codification of Shinto rites and [[Norito]] (liturgies and prayers) to survive, became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice and efforts.<ref>" Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., ''Historical Dictionary of Shinto''. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inv, 2011) p. 92.</ref> In addition to the first ten volumes of this fifty volume work, which concerned worship and the [[Jingi-kan|Department of Worship]], sections in subsequent volumes addressing the [[Ministry of Ceremonies (Japan)|Ministry of Ceremonies]] (治部省) and the [[Ministry of the Imperial Household]] (宮内省) regulated Shinto worship and contained liturgical rites and regulation.<ref>{{cite book|last=Philippi|first=Donald L.|title=Norito: A Translation of the Ancient Japanese Ritual Prayers|year=1990|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0691014890|page=1}}</ref> In 1970, Felicia Gressitt Brock published a two-volume annotated English language translation of the first ten volumes with an introduction entitled ''Engi-shiki; procedures of the Engi Era''.
 ==Arrival and influence of Buddhism==
@@ Line 66: / Line 70: @@
 The arrival of [[Buddhism in Japan]] in around the sixth century introduced the concept of a permanent shrine.<ref name="NKS">Fujita, Koga (2008:20-21)</ref> A great number of Buddhist temples were built next to existing shrines in mixed complexes called {{nihongo|''[[jingū-ji]]''|[[Wiktionary:神宮寺|神宮寺]]||literally: "shrine temple"}} to help priesthood deal with local ''kami'', making those shrines permanent. Some time in their evolution, the word {{nihongo|miya|宮}}, meaning "palace", came into use indicating that shrines had by then become the imposing structures of today.<ref name="Tamura20"/>
-Once the first permanent shrines were built, Shinto revealed a strong tendency to resist architectural change, a tendency which manifested itself in the so-called {{nihongo|''shikinen sengū-sai''|式年遷宮祭}}, the tradition of rebuilding shrines faithfully at regular intervals adhering strictly to their original design. This custom is the reason ancient styles have been replicated throughout the centuries to the present day, remaining more or less intact.<ref name="NKS"/> [[Ise Grand Shrine]], still rebuilt every 20 years, is its best extant example. In Shinto it has played a particularly significant role in preserving ancient architectural styles.<ref name="NKS"/> [[Izumo Taisha]], [[Sumiyoshi Taisha]], and [[Nishina Shinmei Shrine]] in fact represent each a different style whose origin is believed to predate [[Buddhism]] in Japan. These three styles are known respectively as ''[[taisha-zukuri]]'', ''[[sumiyoshi-zukuri]]'', and ''[[shinmei-zukuri]]''.
+Once the first permanent shrines were built, Shinto revealed a strong tendency to resist architectural change, a tendency which manifested itself in the so-called {{nihongo|''shikinen sengū-sai''|式年遷宮祭}}, the tradition of rebuilding shrines faithfully at regular intervals adhering strictly to their original design. This custom is the reason ancient styles have been replicated throughout the centuries to the present day, remaining more or less intact.<ref name="NKS"/>
+[[Ise Grand Shrine]], still rebuilt every 20 years, is its best extant example. In Shinto it has played a particularly significant role in preserving ancient architectural styles.<ref name="NKS"/> [[Izumo Taisha]], [[Sumiyoshi Taisha]], and [[Nishina Shinmei Shrine]] each represent a different style whose origin is believed to predate [[Buddhism]] in Japan. These three styles are known respectively as ''[[taisha-zukuri]]'', ''[[sumiyoshi-zukuri]]'', and ''[[shinmei-zukuri]]''.
 Shrines show various influences, particularly that of Buddhism, a cultural import which provided much of Shinto architecture's vocabulary. The {{nihongo|''[[rōmon]]''|楼門|tower gate}},<ref group="note">The ''rōmon'', or tower gate, is a gate which looks like a two-storied gate, but in fact has only one</ref> the ''[[Haiden (Shinto)|haiden]]'', the {{nihongo|''[[kairō]]''|回廊|corridor}}, the ''[[tōrō]]'', or stone lantern, and the ''[[komainu]]'', or lion dogs, are all elements borrowed from Buddhism.
@@ Line 73: / Line 79: @@
 {{main|Shinbutsu-shūgō|Jingū-ji}}
 [[File:Tsurugaoka Hachimangū-ji.jpg|thumb|An example of ''jingū-ji'': [[Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū]]-ji in an old drawing. In the foreground the shrine-temple's Buddhist structures (not extant), among them a [[Tō|pagoda]], a [[shōrō|belltower]]  and a ''[[niōmon]]''. The shrine (extant) is above.]]
-Until the [[Meiji period]] (1868–1912), shrines as they exist today were rare. With very few exceptions like [[Ise Grand Shrine]] and [[Izumo Taisha]], they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.<ref name="hardacre"/> These complexes were called  {{nihongo|''[[jingū-ji]]''|神宮寺||literally: "shrine temple"}}, places of worship composed of a [[Buddhist temples in Japan|Buddhist temple]] and of a shrine dedicated to a local ''kami''.<ref name=masato>{{EOS|Jingūji|1126|Satō, Masato|February 28, 2007}}</ref> The complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its ''kami'' with its karmic problems. At the time, ''kami'' were thought to be also subjected to [[karma]], and therefore in need of a salvation only Buddhism could provide. Having first appeared during the [[Nara period]] (710–794), the ''jingū-ji'' remained common for over a millennium until, with few exceptions, they were destroyed in compliance with the new policies of the Meiji administration in 1868.
+Until the [[Meiji period]] (1868–1912), shrines as they exist today were rare. With very few exceptions like [[Ise Grand Shrine]] and [[Izumo Taisha]], they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.<ref name="hardacre"/> These complexes were called  {{nihongo|''[[jingū-ji]]''|神宮寺||literally: "shrine temple"}}, places of worship composed of a [[Buddhist temples in Japan|Buddhist temple]] and of a shrine dedicated to a local ''kami''.<ref name=masato>{{EOS|Jingūji|1126|Satō, Masato|February 28, 2007}}</ref>
+The complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its ''kami'' with its karmic problems. At the time, ''kami'' were thought to be also subjected to [[karma]], and therefore in need of a salvation only Buddhism could provide. Having first appeared during the [[Nara period]] (710–794), the ''jingū-ji'' remained common for over a millennium until, with few exceptions, they were destroyed in compliance with the new policies of the Meiji administration in 1868.
 ===''Shinbutsu bunri''===
@@ Line 81: / Line 89: @@
 Until the end of [[Edo period]], local ''kami'' beliefs and Buddhism were intimately connected in what was called ''[[shinbutsu shūgō]]'' (神仏習合), up to the point where even the same buildings were used as both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
-After the law, the two would be forcibly separated. This was done in several stages. At first an order issued by the ''Jingijimuka'' in April 1868 ordered the defrocking of ''shasō'' and ''[[bettō]]'' (shrine monks performing Buddhist rites at Shinto shrines).<ref name = "Burkman">{{citation | last = Burkman | title = The Urakami Incidents and the Struggle for Religious Toleration in Early Meiji Japan | page = 175}}.</ref> A few days later, the 'Daijōkan' banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as ''[[gongen]]'' to Japanese ''[[kami]]'' and the veneration of Buddhist statues in shrines.<ref name="EoSSB" /> The third stage consisted of the prohibition against applying the Buddhist term ''Daibosatsu'' (Great [[Bodhisattva]]) to the syncretic ''kami'' [[Hachiman]] at the [[Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū]] and [[Usa Shrine|Usa Hachiman-gū]] shrines.<ref name="EoSSB">{{citation | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Shinto | title = Shinbutsu Bunri}}.</ref> In the fourth and final stage, all the defrocked ''bettō'' and ''shasō'' were told to become "shrine priests" (''[[kannushi]]'') and return to their shrines.<ref name="EoSSB" /> In addition, monks of the [[Nichiren]] sect were told not to refer to some deities as ''kami''.<ref name="EoSSB" />
+After the law, the two would be forcibly separated. This was done in several stages. At first an order issued by the ''Jingijimuka'' in April 1868 ordered the defrocking of ''shasō'' and ''[[bettō]]'' (shrine monks performing Buddhist rites at Shinto shrines).<ref name = "Burkman">{{citation | last = Burkman | title = The Urakami Incidents and the Struggle for Religious Toleration in Early Meiji Japan | page = 175}}.</ref> A few days later, the 'Daijōkan' banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as ''[[gongen]]'' to Japanese ''[[kami]]'' and the veneration of Buddhist statues in shrines.<ref name="EoSSB" />
+The third stage consisted of the prohibition against applying the Buddhist term ''Daibosatsu'' (Great [[Bodhisattva]]) to the syncretic ''kami'' [[Hachiman]] at the [[Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū]] and [[Usa Shrine|Usa Hachiman-gū]] shrines.<ref name="EoSSB">{{citation | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Shinto | title = Shinbutsu Bunri}}.</ref> In the fourth and final stage, all the defrocked ''bettō'' and ''shasō'' were told to become "shrine priests" (''[[kannushi]]'') and return to their shrines.<ref name="EoSSB" /> Monks of the [[Nichiren]] sect were told not to refer to some deities as ''kami''.<ref name="EoSSB" />
 After a short period in which it enjoyed popular favor, the process of separation of Buddhas and ''kami'' however stalled and is still only partially completed. To this day, almost all Buddhist temples in Japan have a small shrine (''[[chinjusha]]'') dedicated to its Shinto tutelary ''kami'', and vice versa Buddhist figures (e.g. goddess [[Sarasvati|Kannon]]) are revered in Shinto shrines.<ref name="Scheid">{{citation | last = Scheid | first = Grundbegriffe | title = Shinto}}.</ref>
@@ Line 87: / Line 97: @@
 ==''Shintai''==
 {{main|Shintai}}
-[[File:Kodaki fuji frm shojinko refurb.jpg|left|thumb|Mount Fuji is Japan's most famous ''shintai''.]]
+[[File:Kodaki fuji frm shojinko refurb.jpg|thumb|Mount Fuji is Japan's most famous ''shintai''.]]
 The defining features of a shrine are the ''kami'' it enshrines and the ''shintai'' (or ''go-shintai'' if the honorific [[prefix]] ''go-'' is used) that houses it.  While the name literally means "body of a kami", ''shintai'' are physical objects worshiped at or near Shinto shrines because a ''kami'' is believed to reside in them.<ref name="sos">''Shintai'', Encyclopedia of Shinto</ref> ''Shintai'' are not themselves part of ''kami'', but rather just symbolic repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship;<ref>Smeyers, page 44</ref> the ''kami'' inhabits them.<ref name="scheid1">{{cite web|url=http://www.univie.ac.at/rel_jap/bauten/schrein.htm|title=Schreine|last=[[Bernhard Scheid]]|publisher=University of Vienna|language=de|access-date=27 March 2010}}.</ref> ''Shintai'' are also of necessity ''[[yorishiro]]'', that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting ''kami''.
@@ Line 120: / Line 130: @@
 Some shrines exist only in one locality, while others are at the head of a network of {{nihongo|branch shrines|分社|bunsha}}.<ref name="bunpu">{{cite web|url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=776|title=Shamei Bunpu (Shrine Names and Distributions)|last=Motegi|first=Sadazumi|publisher=Encyclopedia of Shinto|language=ja|access-date=23 March 2010}}</ref> The spreading of a ''kami'' can be evoked by one or more of several different mechanisms. The typical one is an operation called ''[[kanjō]]'', a propagation process through which a ''kami'' is invited to a new location and there re-enshrined. The new shrine is administered completely independent from the one it originated from.
-However, other transfer mechanisms exist. In Ise Grand Shrine's case, for example, its network of Shinmei shrines (from Shinmei, 神明; another name for Amaterasu) grew due to two concurrent causes. During the late [[Heian period]] the cult of [[Amaterasu]], worshiped initially only at Ise Grand Shrine, started to spread to the shrine's possessions through the usual ''kanjō'' mechanism.<ref name="bunpu"/> Later, branch shrines started to appear further away. The first evidence of a Shinmei shrine far from Ise is given by the ''[[Azuma Kagami]]'', a [[Kamakura period|Kamakura-period]] text which refers to Amanawa Shinmei-gū's appearance in [[Kamakura, Kanagawa]]. Amaterasu began to be worshiped in other parts of the country because of the so-called {{nihongo|''tobi shinmei''|飛び神明|flying Shinmei|}} phenomenon, the belief that she would fly to other locations and settle there.<ref name="bunpu"/> Similar mechanisms have been responsible for the spreading around the country of other ''kami''.
+However, other transfer mechanisms exist. In Ise Grand Shrine's case, for example, its network of Shinmei shrines (from Shinmei, 神明; another name for Amaterasu) grew due to two concurrent causes. During the late [[Heian period]] the cult of [[Amaterasu]], worshiped initially only at Ise Grand Shrine, started to spread to the shrine's possessions through the usual ''kanjō'' mechanism.<ref name="bunpu"/>
+Later, branch shrines started to appear further away. The first evidence of a Shinmei shrine far from Ise is given by the ''[[Azuma Kagami]]'', a [[Kamakura period|Kamakura-period]] text which refers to Amanawa Shinmei-gū's appearance in [[Kamakura, Kanagawa]]. Amaterasu began to be worshiped in other parts of the country because of the so-called {{nihongo|''tobi shinmei''|飛び神明|flying Shinmei|}} phenomenon, the belief that she would fly to other locations and settle there.<ref name="bunpu"/> Similar mechanisms have been responsible for the spreading around the country of other ''kami''.
 ===Notable shrines===
 {{Main|Beppyo shrines}}
 [[File:Naiku 04.jpg|thumb|[[Ise Grand Shrine]] has been the most important shrine in Japan.]]
-The [[Ise Grand Shrine]] in [[Mie prefecture]] is, with Izumo-taisha, the most representative and historically significant shrine in Japan.<ref name="IUI"/> The ''kami'' the two enshrine play fundamental roles in the [[Kojiki]] and [[Nihon Shoki]], two texts of great importance to Shinto.<ref name="IUI">{{cite web|url=http://www.univie.ac.at/rel_jap/bauten/ise_izumo.htm|title=Ise und Izumo|last=Scheid|first=Bernhard|publisher=University of Vienna|language=de|access-date=31 March 2010}}</ref> Because its ''kami'', [[Amaterasu]], is an ancestor of the [[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]], Ise Grand Shrine is the Imperial Household's family shrine. Ise Grand Shrine is, however, dedicated specifically to the emperor and in the past, even his mother, wife and grandmother needed his permission to worship there.<ref name="EOS-IS">{{cite web|url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=781|title=Ise Shinkō|publisher=Encyclopedia of Shinto|access-date=31 March 2010}}</ref> Its traditional and mythological foundation date goes back to 4 BCE, but historians believe it was founded around the 3rd to 5th century CE.
+The [[Ise Grand Shrine]] in [[Mie prefecture]] is, with Izumo-taisha, the most representative and historically significant shrine in Japan.<ref name="IUI"/> The ''kami'' the two enshrine play fundamental roles in the [[Kojiki]] and [[Nihon Shoki]], two texts of great importance to Shinto.<ref name="IUI">{{cite web|url=http://www.univie.ac.at/rel_jap/bauten/ise_izumo.htm|title=Ise und Izumo|last=Scheid|first=Bernhard|publisher=University of Vienna|language=de|access-date=31 March 2010}}</ref> Because its ''kami'', [[Amaterasu]], is an ancestor of the [[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]], Ise Grand Shrine is the Imperial Household's family shrine. Ise Grand Shrine is dedicated specifically to the emperor. In the past, even his mother, wife and grandmother needed his permission to worship there.<ref name="EOS-IS">{{cite web|url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=781|title=Ise Shinkō|publisher=Encyclopedia of Shinto|access-date=31 March 2010}}</ref> Its traditional and mythological foundation date goes back to 4 BCE, but historians believe it was founded around the 3rd to 5th century CE.
-[[Izumo Taisha]] in [[Shimane Prefecture]] is so old that no document about its origin survives, and the year of foundation is unknown. The shrine is the center of a series of [[sagas]] and myths.<ref name="IUI"/> The ''kami'' it enshrines, [[Ōkuninushi]], created Japan before it was populated by Amaterasu's offspring, the Emperor's ancestors.<ref name="IUI"/> Because of its physical remoteness, in historical times Izumo has been eclipsed in fame by other sites, but there is still a widespread belief that in October all Japanese gods meet there.<ref name="IUI"/> For this reason, the month of October is also known as the {{nihongo|"Month Without Gods"|神無月|[[Kannazuki]]|one of its names in the old lunar calendar}}, while at Izumo Taisha alone it is referred to as the {{nihongo|Month With Gods|神在月・神有月|Kamiarizuki}}.<ref>Iwanami {{nihongo|[[Kōjien]]|広辞苑}} Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version</ref>
+[[Izumo Taisha]] in [[Shimane Prefecture]] is so old that no document about its origin survives, and the year of foundation is unknown. The shrine is the center of a series of [[sagas]] and myths.<ref name="IUI"/> The ''kami'' it enshrines, [[Ōkuninushi]], created Japan before it was populated by Amaterasu's offspring, the Emperor's ancestors.<ref name="IUI"/> Because of its physical remoteness, in historical times Izumo has been eclipsed in fame by other sites, but there is still a widespread belief that in October all Japanese gods meet there.<ref name="IUI"/> For this reason, October is also known as the {{nihongo|"Month Without Gods"|神無月|[[Kannazuki]]|one of its names in the old lunar calendar}}, while at Izumo Taisha alone it is referred to as the {{nihongo|Month With Gods|神在月・神有月|Kamiarizuki}}.<ref>Iwanami {{nihongo|[[Kōjien]]|広辞苑}} Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version</ref>
-[[File:Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto (30173750748).jpg|thumb|left|''Senbon torii'' leading to the [[Fushimi Inari-taisha]]]]
+[[File:Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto (30173750748).jpg|thumb|''Senbon torii'' leading to the [[Fushimi Inari-taisha]]]]
-[[Fushimi Inari Taisha]] is the head shrine of the largest shrine network in Japan, which has more than 32,000 members (about a third of the total). [[Inari Okami]] worship started here in the 8th century and has continued ever since, expanding to the rest of the country. Located in [[Fushimi-ku, Kyoto]], the shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines. Another very large example is the [[Yūtoku Inari Shrine]] in [[Kashima, Saga|Kashima City]], [[Saga Prefecture]].
+[[Fushimi Inari Taisha]] is the head shrine of the largest shrine network in Japan, which has more than 32,000 members, about a third of the total. [[Inari Okami]] worship started here in the 8th century and has continued ever since, expanding to the rest of the country. Located in [[Fushimi-ku, Kyoto]], the shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines. Another very large example is the [[Yūtoku Inari Shrine]] in [[Kashima, Saga|Kashima City]], [[Saga Prefecture]].
-[[Ōita Prefecture]]'s [[Usa Shrine]] (called in Japanese Usa Jingū or Usa Hachiman-gū) is, together with Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, the head of the Hachiman shrine network.<ref name="usa">{{cite web|url=http://www.usajinguu.com/lineage.html|title=Yuisho|publisher=Usa Jingū|language=ja|access-date=1 April 2010|archive-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207130748/http://www.usajinguu.com/lineage.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hachiman worship started here at least as far back as the [[Nara period]] (710–794). In the year 860, the ''kami'' was divided and brought to [[Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū]] in Kyoto, which became the focus of Hachiman worship in the capital.<ref name="hachi">{{cite web|url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=1083|title=Hachiman Shinkō|website=Encyclopedia of Shinto|publisher=Kokugakuin University|access-date=5 April 2010}}</ref> Located on top of Mount Otokoyama, Usa Hachiman-gū is dedicated to [[Emperor Ōjin]], his mother [[Empress Jingū]], and female ''kami'' Hime no Okami.<ref name="iwa">{{cite web|url=http://www.kiis.or.jp/kansaida/yawata/yawata01-e.html|title=Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine |publisher=Kansai Institute of Information Systems and Industrial|access-date=1 April 2010}}</ref>
+[[Ōita Prefecture]]'s [[Usa Shrine]], called in Japanese Usa Jingū or Usa Hachiman-gū, is together with Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, the head of the Hachiman shrine network.<ref name="usa">{{cite web|url=http://www.usajinguu.com/lineage.html|title=Yuisho|publisher=Usa Jingū|language=ja|access-date=1 April 2010|archive-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207130748/http://www.usajinguu.com/lineage.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hachiman worship started here at least as far back as the [[Nara period]] (710–794). In 860, the ''kami'' was divided and brought to [[Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū]] in Kyoto, which became the focus of Hachiman worship in the capital.<ref name="hachi">{{cite web|url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=1083|title=Hachiman Shinkō|website=Encyclopedia of Shinto|publisher=Kokugakuin University|access-date=5 April 2010}}</ref> Located on top of Mount Otokoyama, Usa Hachiman-gū is dedicated to [[Emperor Ōjin]], his mother [[Empress Jingū]], and female ''kami'' Hime no Okami.<ref name="iwa">{{cite web|url=http://www.kiis.or.jp/kansaida/yawata/yawata01-e.html|title=Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine |publisher=Kansai Institute of Information Systems and Industrial|access-date=1 April 2010}}</ref>
 [[Itsukushima Shrine]] is, together with [[Munakata Taisha]], at the head of the Munakata shrine network. Remembered for its ''[[torii]]'' raising from the waters, it is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of [[Susanoo|Susano-o no Mikoto]], ''kami'' of seas and storms and brother of the great sun ''[[kami]]''.
@@ Line 148: / Line 160: @@
 ===Shrine networks===
-There are estimated to be around 80,000 shrines in Japan.<ref>Karan, Pradyumna. (2010). [https://books.google.com/books?id=oze_mWihnU0C&pg=PA72&dq= ''Japan in the 21st Century: Environment, Economy, and Society,'' p. 72]; (1997). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ytOHbLdtSY4C&pg=PA191 ''Living Religions: An Encyclopaedia of the World's Faiths,'' p. 191].</ref> The majority of Shinto shrines are associated with a shrine network.<ref name="breenteeuwen" /> This number includes only shrines with resident priests; if smaller shrines (such as roadside or household shrines) are included, the number would be twice the amount. These are highly concentrated;<ref name="bunshanum" /> over one-third are associated with [[Inari Ōkami|Inari]] (over 30,000 shrines), and the top six networks comprise over 90% of all shrines, though there are at least 20 networks with over 200 shrines.
+There are an estimated 80,000 shrines in Japan.<ref>Karan, Pradyumna. (2010). [https://books.google.com/books?id=oze_mWihnU0C&pg=PA72&dq= ''Japan in the 21st Century: Environment, Economy, and Society,'' p. 72]; (1997). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ytOHbLdtSY4C&pg=PA191 ''Living Religions: An Encyclopaedia of the World's Faiths,'' p. 191].</ref> The majority of Shinto shrines are associated with a shrine network.<ref name="breenteeuwen" /> This number includes only shrines with resident priests. If smaller shrines, such as roadside or household shrines are included, the number would be twice the amount. These are highly concentrated.<ref name="bunshanum" /> Over one-third, 30,000, are associated with [[Inari Ōkami|Inari]]. The top six networks comprise over 90% of all shrines. There are at least 20 networks with over 200 shrines.
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
@@ Line 253: / Line 265: @@
 During the [[Medieval Japan|Japanese medieval period]], Hachiman worship spread throughout Japan among samurai and the peasantry. There are 25,000 shrines in Japan dedicated to him, the second most numerous after those of the Inari network.<ref name="bunpu"/> Usa Hachiman-gū is the network's head shrine together with [[Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū]]. However, [[Hakozaki Shrine]] and [[Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū]] are historically no less significant shrines and are more popular.
 ====Shinmei shrines====
@@ Line 302: / Line 313: @@
 The general blueprint of a Shinto shrine is Buddhist in origin.<ref name="Tamura20"/> The presence of verandas, stone lanterns, and elaborate gates is an example of this influence. The composition of a Shinto shrine is extremely variable, and none of its many possible features is necessarily present. Even the ''honden'' can be missing if the shrine worships a nearby natural ''shintai''.
-However, since its grounds are sacred, they are usually surrounded by a fence made of stone or wood called ''[[tamagaki]]'', while access is made possible by an approach called ''[[sandō]]''. The entrances themselves are straddled by gates called ''[[torii]]'', which are usually the simplest way to identify a Shinto shrine.
+Since its grounds are sacred, they are usually surrounded by a fence made of stone or wood called ''[[tamagaki]]''. Access is made possible by an approach called ''[[sandō]]''. The entrances are straddled by gates called ''[[torii]]'', which are usually the simplest way to identify a Shinto shrine.
-[[Image:---File---蒙疆神社.JPG|thumb|[[Mengjiang]] shrine in [[Zhangjiakou]], [[Hebei]], [[China]] in 1952]]
+[[Image:---File---蒙疆神社.JPG|thumb|[[Mengjiang]] shrine in [[Zhangjiakou]], [[Hebei]], China, 1952]]
-A shrine may include within its grounds several structures, each built for a different purpose.<ref name="HoS"/> Among them are the  ''[[honden]]'' or sanctuaries, where the ''kami'' are enshrined,  the ''[[heiden (Shinto)|heiden]]'' or hall of offerings, where offers and prayers are presented, and the ''[[Haiden (Shinto)|haiden]]'' or hall of worship, where there may be seats for worshippers.<ref name="HoS"/>  The ''honden'' is the building that contains the ''shintai'', literally, "the sacred body of the kami".<ref group="note">In spite of its name, the ''shintai'' is actually a temporary repository of the enshrined ''kami''. (Smyers, page 44)</ref> Of these, only the ''haiden'' is open to the [[laity]].  The ''honden'' is usually located behind the ''haiden'' and is often much smaller and unadorned. Other notable shrine features are the ''[[Chōzuya|temizuya]]'', the fountain where visitors cleanse their hands and mouth, and the {{nihongo|''shamusho''|社務所}}, the office which oversees the shrine.<ref name="HoS"/>  Buildings are often adorned by [[chigi (architecture)|''chigi'']] and ''[[katsuogi]]'', variously oriented poles which protrude from their roof.
+A shrine may include within its grounds several structures, each built for a different purpose.<ref name="HoS"/> Among them are the  ''[[honden]]'' or sanctuaries, where the ''kami'' are enshrined,  the ''[[heiden (Shinto)|heiden]]'' or hall of offerings, where offers and prayers are presented, and the ''[[Haiden (Shinto)|haiden]]'' or hall of worship, where there may be seats for worshippers.<ref name="HoS"/>  The ''honden'' is the building that contains the ''shintai'', literally, "the sacred body of the kami".<ref group="note">In spite of its name, the ''shintai'' is actually a temporary repository of the enshrined ''kami''. (Smyers, page 44)</ref>
+Of these, only the ''haiden'' is open to the [[laity]].  The ''honden'' is usually located behind the ''haiden'' and is often much smaller and unadorned. Other notable shrine features are the ''[[Chōzuya|temizuya]]'', the fountain where visitors cleanse their hands and mouth, and the {{nihongo|''shamusho''|社務所}}, the office which oversees the shrine.<ref name="HoS"/>  Buildings are often adorned by [[chigi (architecture)|''chigi'']] and ''[[katsuogi]]'', variously oriented poles which protrude from their roof.
 Before the [[Meiji Restoration]] it was common for a Buddhist temple to be built inside or next to a shrine, or vice versa.<ref name="SS">See [[Shinbutsu shūgō]] article</ref> If a shrine housed a Buddhist temple, it was called a {{nihongo|''jingūji''|神宮寺}}. Analogously, temples all over Japan adopted {{Nihongo|tutelary ''kami''|鎮守/鎮主|chinju}} and built {{nihongo|temple shrines|寺社|jisha}} to house them.<ref name="BT95">Mark Teeuwen in ''Breen and Teeuwen'' (2000:95-96)</ref> After the forcible separation of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines ([[shinbutsu bunri]]) ordered by the new government in the [[Meiji period]], the connection between the two religions was officially severed, but continued nonetheless in practice and is still visible today.<ref name="SS"/>
@@ Line 327: / Line 340: @@
 ====''Nagare-zukuri''====
-[[File:Ujigami jinja08s3s4500.jpg|thumb|left|Ujigami Shrine in Uji, [[Kyoto Prefecture]]]]
+[[File:Ujigami jinja08s3s4500.jpg|thumb|[[Ujigami Shrine]] in Uji, [[Kyoto Prefecture]]]]
-The {{nihongo|flowing style|流造|[[nagare-zukuri]]}} or {{nihongo|flowing gabled style|流破風造|nagare hafu-zukuri}} is a style characterized by a very asymmetrical [[gable]]d roof ({{nihongo|''kirizuma-yane''|切妻屋根}} in Japanese) projecting outwards on the non-gabled side, above the main entrance, to form a portico.<ref name="ko"/>  This is the feature which gives the style its name, the most common among shrines all over the country. Sometimes the basic layout consisting of an elevated {{nihongo|core|母屋|[[moya (architecture)|moya]]}} partially surrounded by a veranda called ''hisashi'' (all under the same roof) is modified by the addition of a room in front of the entrance.<ref name="ko"/> The ''honden'' varies in roof ridge length from 1 to 11 ''ken'', but is never 6 or 8 ''ken''.<ref name="jana">JAANUS, [http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/n/nagarezukuri.htm Nagare-zukuri], accessed on December 1, 2009</ref> The most common sizes are 1 and 3 ''ken''. The oldest shrine in Japan, [[Uji, Kyoto|Uji]]'s [[Ujigami Shrine]], has a ''honden'' of this type. Its external dimensions are 5×3 ''ken'', but internally it is composed of three {{nihongo|sanctuaries|内殿|naiden}} measuring 1 ''ken'' each.<ref name="jana"/>
+The {{nihongo|flowing style|流造|[[nagare-zukuri]]}} or {{nihongo|flowing gabled style|流破風造|nagare hafu-zukuri}} is a style characterized by a very asymmetrical [[gable]]d roof ({{nihongo|''kirizuma-yane''|切妻屋根}} in Japanese) projecting outwards on the non-gabled side, above the main entrance, to form a portico.<ref name="ko"/>
+This is the feature which gives the style its name, the most common among shrines all over Japan. Sometimes the basic layout consisting of an elevated {{nihongo|core|母屋|[[moya (architecture)|moya]]}} partially surrounded by a veranda called ''hisashi'' (all under the same roof) is modified by the addition of a room in front of the entrance.<ref name="ko"/>
+The ''honden'' varies in roof ridge length from 1 to 11 ''ken'', but is never 6 or 8 ''ken''.<ref name="jana">JAANUS, [http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/n/nagarezukuri.htm Nagare-zukuri], accessed on December 1, 2009</ref> The most common sizes are 1 and 3 ''ken''. The oldest shrine in Japan, [[Uji, Kyoto|Uji]]'s [[Ujigami Shrine]], has a ''honden'' of this type. Its external dimensions are 5×3 ''ken'', but internally it is composed of three {{nihongo|sanctuaries|内殿|naiden}} measuring 1 ''ken'' each.<ref name="jana"/>
 {{clear}}
@@ Line 354: / Line 371: @@
 ====''Taisha-zukuri''====
-[[File:Kamosu jinja.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Kamosu Jinja's ''honden'']]
+[[File:Kamosu jinja.jpg|thumb|upright|Kamosu Jinja's ''honden'']]
 {{nihongo|''[[Taisha-zukuri]]'' or ''Ōyashiro-zukuri''|大社造|}} is the oldest shrine style, takes its name from [[Izumo Taisha]] and, like Ise Grand Shrine's, has ''chigi'' and ''katsuogi'', plus archaic features like gable-end pillars and a single central pillar (''shin no mihashira'').<ref name="ko"/> Because its floor is raised on stilts, it is believed to have its origin in raised-floor granaries similar to those found in [[Toro (archaeological site)|Toro]], Shizuoka prefecture.<ref name="jata">JAANUS, [http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/t/taishazukuri.htm Taisha-zukuri], accessed on December 1, 2009</ref>
@@ Line 365: / Line 382: @@
 =={{Anchor|Interpreting_shrine_names}}Interpreting shrine names==
 [[File:Hakusan gongen.jpg|thumb|A small shrine called {{nihongo|Hakusan Gongen|白山権現}}, following the pre-Meiji custom]]
-Shrine nomenclature has changed considerably since the Meiji period. Until then, the vast majority of shrines were small and had no permanent priest.<ref name="hardacre">Hardacre (1986:31)</ref> With very few exceptions, they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.<ref name="hardacre"/> They usually enshrined a local tutelary ''kami'', so they were called with the name of the ''kami'' followed by terms like ''[[gongen]]''; {{nihongo|''ubusuna''|産土}}, short for "ubusuna no kami", or guardian deity of one's birthplace; or {{nihongo|great kami|明神|myōjin}}. The term {{nihongo|''jinja''|神社}}, now the most common, was rare.<ref name="hardacre"/> Examples of this kind of pre-Meiji use are [[Hōkai-ji (Kamakura)|Tokusō Daigongen]] and [[Kanda Shrine|Kanda Myōjin]].
+Shrine nomenclature has changed considerably since the Meiji period. Until then, the vast majority of shrines were small and had no permanent priest.<ref name="hardacre">Hardacre (1986:31)</ref> With very few exceptions, they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.<ref name="hardacre"/>
+They usually enshrined a local tutelary ''kami'', so they were called with the name of the ''kami'' followed by terms like ''[[gongen]]''; {{nihongo|''ubusuna''|産土}}, short for "ubusuna no kami", or guardian deity of one's birthplace; or {{nihongo|great kami|明神|myōjin}}. The term {{nihongo|''jinja''|神社}}, now the most common, was rare.<ref name="hardacre"/> Examples of this kind of pre-Meiji use are [[Hōkai-ji (Kamakura)|Tokusō Daigongen]] and [[Kanda Shrine|Kanda Myōjin]].
-Today, the term "Shinto shrine" in English is used in opposition to "[[Buddhist temples in Japan|Buddhist temple]]" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. This single English word however translates several non-equivalent Japanese words, including {{nihongo|''jinja''|神社}} as in [[Yasukuni Jinja]]; {{nihongo|''yashiro''|社}} as in [[Tsubaki Grand Shrine|Tsubaki Ōkami Yashiro]]; {{nihongo|''miya''|宮}} as in [[Ise Grand Shrine#Shrines and facilities|Watarai no Miya]]; {{nihongo|-''gū''|宮}} as in [[Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū]]; {{nihongo|''jingū''|神宮}} as in [[Meiji Shrine|Meiji Jingū]]; {{nihongo|''taisha''|大社}} as in [[Izumo Taisha]];<ref name="HoS">The History of Shrines</ref> {{nihongo|''mori''|杜}}; and {{nihongo|''hokora/hokura''|神庫}}.
+Today, the term "Shinto shrine" in English is used in opposition to "[[Buddhist temples in Japan|Buddhist temple]]" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. This single English word translates several non-equivalent Japanese words, including {{nihongo|''jinja''|神社}} as in [[Yasukuni Jinja]]; {{nihongo|''yashiro''|社}} as in [[Tsubaki Grand Shrine|Tsubaki Ōkami Yashiro]]; {{nihongo|''miya''|宮}} as in [[Ise Grand Shrine#Shrines and facilities|Watarai no Miya]]; {{nihongo|-''gū''|宮}} as in [[Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū]]; {{nihongo|''jingū''|神宮}} as in [[Meiji Shrine|Meiji Jingū]]; {{nihongo|''taisha''|大社}} as in [[Izumo Taisha]];<ref name="HoS">The History of Shrines</ref> {{nihongo|''mori''|杜}}; and {{nihongo|''hokora/hokura''|神庫}}.
-Shrine names are descriptive, and a difficult problem in dealing with them is understanding exactly what they mean. Although there is a lot of variation in their composition, it is usually possible to identify in them two parts. The first is the shrine's name proper, or {{nihongo|''meishō''|名称}}, the second is the so-called {{nihongo|''shōgō''|称号}}, or "title".<ref name="jinja.jp">Shinto Online Network Association [http://jinja.jp/modules/chishiki/index.php?content_id=56 Jinja no Shōgō ni Tsuite Oshiete Kudasai] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019044202/http://jinja.jp/modules/chishiki/index.php?content_id=56 |date=2014-10-19 }}</ref>
+Shrine names are descriptive. A problem in dealing with them is understanding exactly what they mean. Although there is a lot of variation in their composition, it is usually possible to identify in them two parts. The first is the shrine's name proper, or {{nihongo|''meishō''|名称}}, the second is the so-called {{nihongo|''shōgō''|称号}}, or "title".<ref name="jinja.jp">Shinto Online Network Association [http://jinja.jp/modules/chishiki/index.php?content_id=56 Jinja no Shōgō ni Tsuite Oshiete Kudasai] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019044202/http://jinja.jp/modules/chishiki/index.php?content_id=56 |date=2014-10-19 }}</ref>
 ===''Meishō''===
@@ Line 380: / Line 399: @@
 * {{nihongo|''Jinja''|神社}} is the most general name for shrine.<ref name="jinja.jp"/> Any place that owns a {{nihongo|''[[honden]]''|本殿}} is a ''jinja''.<ref name="IK"/> These two characters used to be read either "kamu-tsu-yashiro" or "mori", both meaning "kami grove".<ref name="BT43"/> Both readings can be found for example in the [[Man'yōshū]].<ref name="BT43"/>
 * {{nihongo|''Yashiro''|社}} is a generic term for shinto shrine like ''jinja''.<ref name="IK"/><ref name="BT43"/>
-* A {{nihongo|''mori''|杜}} is a place where a ''kami'' is present.<ref name="IK"/> It can therefore be a shrine and, in fact, the characters 神社, 社 and 杜 can all be read "mori" ("grove").<ref name="BT43">Sonoda Minoru in ''Breen, Teeuwen'' (2000:43)</ref> This reading reflects the fact the first shrines were simply [[sacred grove]]s or [[Chinju no Mori]] where ''kami'' were present.<ref name="BT43"/>
+* A {{nihongo|''mori''|杜}} is a place where a ''kami'' is present.<ref name="IK"/> It can therefore be a shrine and the characters 神社, 社 and 杜 can all be read "mori" ("grove").<ref name="BT43">Sonoda Minoru in ''Breen, Teeuwen'' (2000:43)</ref> This reading reflects the fact the first shrines were simply [[sacred grove]]s or [[Chinju no Mori]] where ''kami'' were present.<ref name="BT43"/>
 * The suffix {{nihongo|''-sha'' or ''-ja''|社}}, as in ''Shinmei-sha'' or ''Tenjin-ja'', indicates a minor shrine that has received through the ''[[kanjō]]'' process a ''kami'' from a more important one.<ref name="jinja.jp"/>
 * {{nihongo|''Hokora''/''hokura''|神庫}} is an extremely small shrine of the kind one finds for example along country roads.<ref name=":1">[http://www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp/ijcc/wp/bts/bts_h.html#hokora Basic Terms of Shinto, ''Hokora''] retrieved on July 1, 2008</ref>
-* {{nihongo|''Jingū''|神宮}} is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor, as for example in the case of the Ise Jingū and the Meiji Jingū.<ref name="jinja.jp"/> The name ''Jingū'' alone, however, can refer only to the Ise Jingū, whose official name is just "Jingū".<ref name="jinja.jp"/>
+* {{nihongo|''Jingū''|神宮}} is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor. For example, in the case of the Ise Jingū and the Meiji Jingū.<ref name="jinja.jp"/> The name ''Jingū'' alone, can refer only to the Ise Jingū, whose official name is just "Jingū".<ref name="jinja.jp"/>
-* {{nihongo|''Miya''|宮}} indicates a shrine enshrining a special ''kami'' or a member of the Imperial household like the Empress, but there are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.<ref name="IK"/> During the period of state regulation, many ''-miya'' names were changed to ''jinja''.
+* {{nihongo|''Miya''|宮}} indicates a shrine enshrining a special ''kami'' or a member of the Imperial household like the Empress. There are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.<ref name="IK"/> During the period of state regulation, many ''-miya'' names were changed to ''jinja''.
 * {{nihongo|-''gū''|宮}} indicates a shrine enshrining an imperial prince, but there are many examples in which it is used simply as a tradition.<ref name="jinja.jp"/>
-* A {{nihongo|''taisha''|大社}}(the characters are also read ''ōyashiro'') is literally a "great shrine" that was classified as such under the old system of shrine ranking, the {{nihongo|[[Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines|shakaku]]|社格}}, abolished in 1946.<ref name="IK"/><ref name=":2">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120213073711/http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=260 Myōjin taisha], Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved on July 2, 2008</ref> Many shrines carrying that ''shōgō'' adopted it only after the war.<ref name="jinja.jp"/>
+* A {{nihongo|''taisha''|大社}} (the characters are also read ''ōyashiro'') is literally a "great shrine" that was classified as such under the old system of shrine ranking, the {{nihongo|[[Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines|shakaku]]|社格}}, abolished in 1946.<ref name="IK"/><ref name=":2">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120213073711/http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=260 Myōjin taisha], Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved on July 2, 2008</ref> Many shrines carrying that ''shōgō'' adopted it only after the war.<ref name="jinja.jp"/>
-* During the [[History of Japan#Feudal Japan (1185-1603)|Japanese Middle Ages]], shrines started being called with the name ''[[gongen]]'', a term of Buddhist origin.<ref name="sos3">Encyclopedia of Shinto, [http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=790 Gongen shinkō], accessed on October 5, 2008</ref> For example, in Eastern Japan there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called  ''gongen''.<ref name="sos3"/> Because it represents the application of Buddhist terminology to Shinto ''kami'', its use was legally abolished by the Meiji government with the {{nihongo|[[Shinbutsu bunri|Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order]]|神仏判然令|Shin-butsu Hanzenrei}}, and shrines began to be called ''jinja''.<ref name="sos3"/>
+* During the [[History of Japan#Feudal Japan (1185-1603)|Japanese Middle Ages]], shrines started being called with the name ''[[gongen]]'', a term of Buddhist origin.<ref name="sos3">Encyclopedia of Shinto, [http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=790 Gongen shinkō], accessed on October 5, 2008</ref> For example, in Eastern Japan there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called ''gongen''.<ref name="sos3"/> Because it represents the application of Buddhist terminology to Shinto ''kami'', its use was legally abolished by the Meiji government with the {{nihongo|[[Shinbutsu bunri|Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order]]|神仏判然令|Shin-butsu Hanzenrei}}, and shrines began to be called ''jinja''.<ref name="sos3"/>
-These names are not equivalent in terms of prestige: a ''taisha'' is more prestigious than a ''-gū'', which in turn is more important than a ''jinja''.
+These names are not equivalent in terms of prestige: a ''taisha'' is more prestigious than a ''-gū'', which is more important than a ''jinja''.
 == Etiquette at shrines ==
@@ Line 395: / Line 414: @@
 [[File:Bowing-clapping-bowing.png|alt=|thumb|502x502px|An example of prewar two-beat, one-beat worship. The upper row is the second worship, the middle row is the second clap, and the lower row is the first worship. This is the worship after offering the tamagushi, and the tamagushi can be seen on the table in front. Source: NDLJP:1054789/27.]]
 {{Main|Hakushu (Shinto)}}
-At shrines there is a relatively standardized system of visit ettiquette that is called {{ill|Two bows, two claps, one bow|ja|二礼二拍手一礼|simple}}.  It goes roughly as follows<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2015-08-21 |title=Do you know? Shrine manners and their meanings {{!}} Feel Fukuoka Japan |url=https://feelfukuoka.com/en/culture-lifestyle/sumiyoshi/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":7">https://archive.today/wip/kcBD3</ref>
+At shrines there is a relatively standardized system of visit ettiquette that is called {{ill|Two bows, two claps, one bow|ja|二礼二拍手一礼|simple}}.  It goes roughly as follows<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2015-08-21 |title=Do you know? Shrine manners and their meanings {{!}} Feel Fukuoka Japan |url=https://feelfukuoka.com/en/culture-lifestyle/sumiyoshi/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{cite web | url=https://archive.today/wip/kcBD3 | title=Japanese Customs and Etiquette｜Dive deeper into Yakult —the Probiotic… }}</ref>
-# Bow once before entering [[Torii]]<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
+# Bow once before entering [[Torii]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
-## Do not walk through the center of a Torii as that is reserved for deities<ref name=":7" />
+## Do not walk through the center of a Torii as that is reserved for deities.<ref name=":7" />
-# Purify hands and mouth with [[chozuya]]<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
+# Purify hands and mouth with [[chozuya]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
-# Put money in the offering box<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 June 2021 |title=Learn about Shinto - How to behave in a shinto shrine |url=https://tomo.life/en/blogs/shinto-and-shrines/manner-2106071 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=供TOMO ONLINE STORE |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=二礼二拍一礼は参拝の基本。その歴史と考え方とは。｜葬儀･家族葬なら【よりそうお葬式】 |url=https://www.yoriso.com/sogi/nireinihakuichirei/ |access-date=2023-02-11 |website=www.yoriso.com |language=ja}}</ref>
+# Put money in the offering box.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 June 2021 |title=Learn about Shinto - How to behave in a shinto shrine |url=https://tomo.life/en/blogs/shinto-and-shrines/manner-2106071 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=供TOMO ONLINE STORE |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=二礼二拍一礼は参拝の基本。その歴史と考え方とは。｜葬儀･家族葬なら【よりそうお葬式】 |url=https://www.yoriso.com/sogi/nireinihakuichirei/ |access-date=2023-02-11 |website=www.yoriso.com |language=ja}}</ref>
-# Ring the bell 2-3 times if present<ref>{{Cite web |last=Japanistry |date=2016-11-06 |title=Visiting Shrines & Temples in Japan: Etiquette & Customs |url=https://www.japanistry.com/etiquette-at-the-shrines-temples/ |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=japanistry.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":22" />
+# Ring the bell 2-3 times if present.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Japanistry |date=2016-11-06 |title=Visiting Shrines & Temples in Japan: Etiquette & Customs |url=https://www.japanistry.com/etiquette-at-the-shrines-temples/ |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=japanistry.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":22" />
-# Bow twice<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> <ref name=":22" />
+# Bow twice.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":22" />
-# [[Hakushu (Shinto)|Clap]] twice<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> <ref name=":22" />
+# [[Hakushu (Shinto)|Clap]] twice.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":22" />
-# Bow once<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> This bow should be deeper than the others<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pray｜Ise Jingu |url=https://www.isejingu.or.jp/en/pray/index.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Ise Jingu |language=en}}</ref> at a 90-degree angle<ref name=":22" />
+# Bow once.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> This bow should be deeper than the others<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pray｜Ise Jingu |url=https://www.isejingu.or.jp/en/pray/index.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Ise Jingu |language=en}}</ref> at a 90-degree angle.<ref name=":22" />
 # When exiting the shrine, turn around and again bow once at the Torii.<ref> [http://www.tokyo-jinjacho.or.jp/sanpai/ "Etiquette For Worship"] retrieved May 31 2024. </ref>
+There are rare exceptions to this system. For example, at [[Usa Jingū]] and [[Izumo-taisha]], it is correct etiquette to [[Hakushu (Shinto)|clap]] ''four'' times in front of the offering box rather than the usual twice.<ref> [http://www.usajinguu.com/worship/ "Usa Jingu - About Worship"] retrieved May 31 2024. </ref><ref> [https://izumooyashiro.or.jp/archives/faq/7898 "Izumo-Taisha - Frequently Asked Questions"] retrieved May 31 2024.</ref>
-There are, however, rare exceptions to this system. For example, at [[Usa Jingū|Usa Jingū]] and [[Izumo-taisha|Izumo-taisha]], it is correct etiquette to [[Hakushu (Shinto)|clap]] ''four'' times in front of the offering box rather than the usual twice.<ref> [http://www.usajinguu.com/worship/ "Usa Jingu - About Worship"] retrieved May 31 2024. </ref><ref> [https://izumooyashiro.or.jp/archives/faq/7898 "Izumo-Taisha - Frequently Asked Questions"] retrieved May 31 2024.</ref>
 ==Shrines with structures designated as National Treasures==
@@ Line 457: / Line 475: @@
 [[File:Guji0148.jpg|thumb|right|A ''[[kannushi]]'']]
-A {{nihongo|''[[kannushi]]''|神主||"''kami'' master"}} or {{nihongo|''shinshoku''|神職||"''kami'' employee"}} is a priest responsible for the maintenance of a shrine, as well as for leading worship of a given ''kami''.<ref name="HoS"/> These two terms were not always [[synonyms]]. Originally, a ''kannushi'' was a holy man who could work miracles and who, thanks to [[Harae|purification rites]], could work as an intermediary between ''kami'' and man, but later the term evolved to being synonymous with ''shinshoku'', a man who works at a shrine and holds religious ceremonies there.<ref name="IK"/><ref name="ya">{{cite web|url=http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E7%A5%9E%E4%B8%BB/|title=Kannushi|last=Moriyasu|language=ja|first=Jin|website=Nihon Hyakka Zensho|publisher=Shogakukan|access-date=2009-10-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209091437/http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E7%A5%9E%E4%B8%BB/|archive-date=2012-12-09}}</ref> [[Women in Japan|Women]] can also become ''kannushi'', and it is common for widows to succeed their husbands.<ref name="EB">{{cite web| title= Shinshoku | publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica Online | url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540847/shinshoku | access-date= 2009-10-16}}
+A {{nihongo|''[[kannushi]]''|神主||"''kami'' master"}} or {{nihongo|''shinshoku''|神職||"''kami'' employee"}} is a priest responsible for the maintenance of a shrine, as well as for leading worship of a given ''kami''.<ref name="HoS"/> These two terms were not always [[synonyms]]. Originally, a ''kannushi'' was a holy man who could work miracles and who, thanks to [[Harae|purification rites]], could work as an intermediary between ''kami'' and man, but later the term evolved to being synonymous with ''shinshoku'', a man who works at a shrine and holds religious ceremonies there.<ref name="IK"/><ref name="ya">{{cite web|url=http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E7%A5%9E%E4%B8%BB/|title=Kannushi|last=Moriyasu|language=ja|first=Jin|website=Nihon Hyakka Zensho|publisher=Shogakukan|access-date=2009-10-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209091437/http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E7%A5%9E%E4%B8%BB/|archive-date=2012-12-09}}</ref> [[Women in Japan|Women]] can become ''kannushi'', and it is common for widows to succeed their husbands.<ref name="EB">{{cite web| title= Shinshoku | publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica Online | url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540847/shinshoku | access-date= 2009-10-16}}
 </ref>
@@ Line 463: / Line 481: @@
 {{main|Miko}}
-A {{nihongo|''[[miko]]''|巫女|}} is a shrine maiden who has trained for and taken up several duties at a shrine including assistance of shrine functions such as the sale of sacred goods (including amulets known as ''[[omamori]]'', paper talisman known as ''[[ofuda]]'', wood tablets known as ''[[ema (Shinto)|ema]]'' and among other items), daily tidying of the premises, and performing the sacred [[kagura]] dances on certain occasions.
+A {{nihongo|''[[miko]]''|巫女|}} is a shrine maiden who has trained for and taken up several duties at a shrine including assistance of shrine functions such as the sale of sacred goods, including amulets known as ''[[omamori]]'', paper talisman known as ''[[ofuda]]'', wood tablets known as ''[[ema (Shinto)|ema]]'' and among other items, daily tidying of the premises, and performing the sacred [[kagura]] dances on certain occasions.
 ==Gallery==

v t e Places of worship
Baháʼí Faith	Baháʼí House of Worship
Buddhism	Buddhist Monastery or Vihāra Chaitya Pagoda Shaolin Monastery Stupa Wat
Christianity	Church
Hinduism	Hindu temple or Mandir Balinese temple or Pura
Jainism	Jain temple or Derasar or Basadi
Judaism	Synagogue or Shul
Islam	Mosque Dargah Gongbei
Mandaeism	Mandi or Mashkhanna or Beth Manda
Paganism & modern paganism	Heathen hof or Germanic pagan temple Magic circle
Shintoism	Shinto Shrine or Jinja
Sikhism	Gurdwara
Taoism	Taoist temple or Dàoguàn
Zoroastrianism	Fire temple or Agiary or Atashkadeh or Atashgah or Dar-e Mehr
Varying religions and beliefs	Altar Cult Architecture Asylum Cult image Sacred space Sanctuary Shrine Temple Sun temple
Note: Sorted alphabetically except the last one